Dragon Mage
by Sparks
Summary: During his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter was whisked away by a stranger named Zodiac. For ten years no-one knew what had become of him. Then, in the Wizarding world’s darkest hour, a War Mage called Thor turns up to save the day...COMPLETED 27/7/
1. A Returning

Author's Notes: During his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter was whisked away by a mysterious stranger named Zodiac. For over ten long years no-one knew what had become of him. And then, in the Wizarding world's darkest hour, a War Mage called Thor turns up to save the day…but he is all too familiar to the Wizards and Witches still fighting at Hogwarts…and with his complicated past, the Circle of Mages, and Draco Malfoy all getting in the way, Thor isn't sure whether he'll ever be able to simply be himself.  
  
Disclaimer: The Circle of Mages and everything connected is mine, as is the Unicorn School, the dragons mentioned by name, and anyone else you don't recognise. Memories or flashbacks are indicated by a row of asterisks and a row of forward slashes.  
  
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"Are you sure about this, Harry? You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."  
  
Harry looked away from the piercing blue gaze for a long moment, carefully considering his options. He only really had two choices, and neither of them were without their downsides. Then he looked up again at the man patiently leaning against the wall, watching him with lazy grey eyes that glittered strangely in the light of Dumbledore's office. Their eyes connected, and something passed between them, some flash of understanding that Harry could not escape…and Harry was granted that rare thing, a moment of absolute clarity, when a person knows exactly what it is he has to do.  
  
"I'll go with Zodiac," he said quietly. Dumbledore drew in a sharp breath, and Harry looked back at him. "I think it's for the best, Professor," he said quietly. "If I become a Mage, I'll be able to defeat Voldemort. If I don't go, it's unlikely that I'll live to my next birthday – you and I both know that, please don't try and gloss over the facts." He shrugged awkwardly. "And besides, it's not like I'm really any use at the moment."  
  
"Make no mistakes about this, Harry," Zodiac said, his voice just as lazy as his eyes had been, but his eyes were now intensely focused on Harry. "Once you begin training, you will not be able to return to this world until you have completed the training. That could be years; by then, Voldemort may have taken over, and you may not be granted permission to help the wizards with their problems even if you do complete the training."  
  
"Voldemort is my problem," Harry said, his voice full of a command that made Zodiac blink. "Whoever wants to train me has to understand that, or there's no point. I completely understand the commitment I would be making…and I want to do it."  
  
Zodiac glanced for a moment between the boy and the headmaster. Then he nodded. "Fine. We'll walk down to Hogsmeade, then we will Apparate." He pushed himself away from the wall. "Goodbye, Professor. Thank you." Harry rose as well, and after a moment spent watching his mentor, followed Zodiac from the room and from Hogwarts.  
  
Harry Potter was not seen again by the Wizarding community for more than ten years. In that time, Voldemort completely took over. The Ministry of Magic was crushed by his Death Eaters. Muggle-borns fled before him, fleeing to other countries that had not yet been affected by the dark plague that was Voldemort, sweeping all before him in his efforts to control all of the Wizarding world. There were only a few places that were still safe in England; one was, of course, Hogwarts, that was no longer a school but a haven for muggle-borns and those who refused to serve Voldemort – of which there were many. And those who still remembered Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, their supposed saviour, did so with bitter hearts and angry voices. None thought that he might one day return. None saw any further than surviving the next day, and the next, and maybe, if they were lucky, the day after that.  
  
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"I don't understand why you keep saying no."  
  
A tall, tousle-haired man with vibrant green eyes stood in the centre of a large circle. Around the edge of the circle sat a mismatched group of people, all wearing the same uniform that he was; dragon's hide knee-length boots, with knives tucked in. Trousers and a worn leather shirt rather than a robes, both black, and a long cloak that came to rest at the floor. A silver emblem on the chest of his leather shirt glittered in the flickering candle-light, that also reflected off the various weapons he had about his body. His appearance would have been impressive, had not all the watchers seen him stood like this, disbelieving and un-cooperating, many times before.  
  
"I've completed my training," the man continued, his tone reflecting his utter outrage at what he was being denied. "I've passed all the tests, I've proved myself over and over again – Merlin curse it, you yourselves have admitted that I'm the best god-damned Mage that's ever been taught!"  
  
"And modest too," came a snide voice from one side of him. The man refused to rise to the bait, but someone behind him did.  
  
"Oh, come now, Coyote," a woman said crossly. "Just because you don't like the boy is no reason for you to be bitter – or to deny him this."  
  
"We knew when we began his training that this would happen," agreed a man from in front of Harry. "Seraph is right. We did know that he would want to go back, and most of us understand why he must. It is a part of his destiny."  
  
"I couldn't agree more," Zodiac inserted from somewhere – the man couldn't see where, and he was getting a little tired of them talking as though he wasn't there. After all, he thought, frustrated, it was only because he'd refused the position that he wasn't on the Council of Mages himself.  
  
"Fine," said Coyote, impatiently. "Let us take a vote. Is that not the way we agreed upon to decide matters such as this? Green for yes, blue for no." He instantly shot up a jet of blue light, that hovered in the air as a loose round ball. It was soon joined by a dozen more balls of light; ten green, and two blue.  
  
"It would seem that you are outvoted, Coyote," Seraph said softly. "What a pity." She rose from her seat and moved towards the standing man, whose face flickered into a smile for a moment. "Are you sure about this, Thor? You know that we cannot help you, you must accomplish this task by yourself."  
  
"I have always worked alone," Thor told her slowly, deliberately. "It is how I work best. And this is my battle." He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in all the Mages he could see. "If you had denied me again," he carefully pronounced his words, "I would have left anyway, and you would not have been able to stop me. But I am glad that you gave me permission, for I should not like to leave the Circle of Mages completely."  
  
"Thor…Harry," Zodiac said heavily, moving towards his protégé. "I don't want you to d this, it's no secret. But I know that you've always been meant for it – that scar tells me so, and your power tells me so. You're the most powerful…" he trailed off. "Go carefully, Thor. Don't forget to keep an eye on your enemies, and a closer one on your allies. Don't be gone too long, and above all – try not to lose your temper?"  
  
Thor grinned, and pulled Zodiac in for a hug. Then he stepped back, and bowed. After a fraction of a second, Zodiac returned the gesture of respect. Then Thor looked around at the Council of Mages one last time, and Disapparated away from them. Away from the hidden school, away from the place that had been his home for eleven years…towards England, towards Hogwarts, towards his past.  
  
He Apparated into Hogsmeade, as close as he could get to Hogwarts, and took in everything around him. One eyebrow lifted curiously as he realised that he'd entered into what appeared to be a battle. From his right rushed a small army of black-robed, masked figures. From his left, from the direction of the castle, purple-robed men and women worked spells of defence, or brandished their wands, in faint hopes of repelling the attack. Thor watched intently as the two sides almost collided with each other, and the magical battle began. He knew that he needed to see exactly how the Wizarding world was fighting, to know how much he would have to do…and he winced as the magical barrier that the purple-robes had created broke down with a bang. The black-robes, whom he assumed were Death Eaters, swarmed around the purple-robes, who were greatly outnumbered.  
  
Thor made an irritated sound in his throat, and lifted his hand, shoving the Death Eaters back to his right. With his other hand and a murmured word, he created a magical barrier that completely surrounded Hogwarts, glittering silver in the morning sunlight. He strode forward to look over the Death Eaters clinically.  
  
"I suggest you go tell your master that I've arrived," he told the nearest one calmly. "I'm sure he'll want to hear about it." He turned away with an enigmatic smile, crossed his barrier, and walked towards the purple- robes, who were making sure they were all fine. Two had been hit with curses, but seemed alright now. One of them, a tall red-haired man who made Thor smile involuntarily, turned towards Harry with a confused frown.  
  
"Who are you?" the man demanded angrily. "What the hell are you doing?" Thor raised one eyebrow. "I'm War Mage Thor," he replied calmly. "I'm here to help, and I've just saved you and your team; there's no way the Death Eaters will be able to pass that barrier now. Or anyone else, for that matter. Now, perhaps you would be so good as to take me to whoever happens to be in charge at Hogwarts?"  
  
The man stared. Thor sighed, beginning to feel the first hints of impatience. "I could always return to my home and remove the barrier," he suggested gently. "I assure you, I can be trusted." His eyes flickered to the other purple-robes, who were already making their way back up to the school.  
  
"You look familiar," the man pronounced finally. Thor's eyes flashed back to him. "Do I know you?"  
  
"I doubt it," Thor replied smoothly. "I haven't left the Circle of Mages in ten years." He watched as the man's eyes flickered over his shoulder to see the Death Eaters begin to try breaking through the barrier. "Please, Mr Weasley." The red-headed man looked back at him in shock. "Whoever is in charge."  
  
And George Weasley nodded, and led the War Mage up to the castle of Hogwarts. Thor noted that it had not changed much; the Forbidden Forest, the lake, the hut, the Quidditch pitch…all were as he remembered them. And the castle was not so different…a few additions and subtractions, including Trelawny's Divinations tower, which seemed to have fallen over at some point or other. George noticed him taking in all of the castle, and frowned slightly in confusion.  
  
"I still think I know you," he said finally, drawing Thor's attention back. "Did you ever come to Hogwarts?"  
  
"I did," Thor allowed. "But I'm sure I would remember you if I had known you at all."  
  
"What House were you in?"  
  
Thor hesitated for a moment, pondering whether he should reply or not. But he knew that as soon as he saw someone who had known him well, his identity would be revealed anyway. "Gryffindor," he said simply. "I was a Gryffindor." George's eyes flickered curiously for a moment, but he said nothing more as they ascended the steps up to the castle. The doors were flung open.  
  
"GEORGE WEASLEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" demanded a brown-haired woman. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE BARRIER COULD HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED FROM HERE!"  
  
George winced. "Yes," he agreed. "But the barrier was down within minutes. It's only thanks to this man here," he waved a hand in Thor's direction, "that we managed to get away." Thor met the woman's eyes, efficiently hiding the gut-wrenching feeling that he felt on recognising her. And he thought she recognised him – but then her gaze dropped to take in his uniform, and the silver emblem on his shirt.  
  
"A Mage," she whispered. "A Mage…here…" Thor remained silent, waiting for her to vocalise herself a little more. "I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced herself briskly after a moment. "And you are?"  
  
"War Mage Thor," Thor replied, executing a half-bow. She frowned slightly, as if something in his voice reminded her of something she'd heard in the past…then her expression cleared to one of relief.  
  
"Thank God," she said fervently. "Maybe with you on our side we'll actually win this damn thing." She hesitated, worry gripping her for a moment. "You are here to fight for us, aren't you? It's just that the Mages haven't interfered with us before…"  
  
"And they won't," Thor said mildly. "Your wars are no concern of ours. I'm simply here to have a look around. Then I have to return to the Circle of Mages." She looked crestfallen, and George looked no less so as he put an arm around Hermione's waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Thor raised one eyebrow ever-so-slightly to this. It was surprising. When he'd been here, everyone had thought that Hermione would get together with Ron…but of course, he reminded himself. He had been away for eleven years.  
  
"He wants to see Dumbledore," George was telling Hermione, and Thor snapped his attention back, cursing himself for not paying attention. "Do you know where he is?"  
  
"He's with Draco in the library," Hermione replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the War Mage, who simply stared back at her, his features unreadable, his eyes half-hidden behind his fringe…green eyes half-hidden under black, unruly hair…a suspicion stirred within her, that must have showed in her eyes, for the War Mage smiled faintly. "I'll take him," she said aloud. "I need to look something up in the library anyway. George, Fred was looking for you, he said something about wanting to kill you for trying to get yourself killed."  
  
George flashed her a quick smile, and disappeared into the castle. Hermione stared at Thor for a moment more, then nodded. "Come on, then," she said curtly. "I'll take you to Professor Dumbledore." And she led him through the oh-so-familiar corridors and stairways, past rooms that he had talked in, laughed in, learnt in…and the people all around him stared at him in shock, not daring to believe that a Mage had come to help them…  
  
Then they reached the library, and Hermione led him to a large table in the middle of the shelves, a table that was covered in books of every description. Two men were trying to sort through the mass of information, and both of them were very familiar to Thor. Hermione cleared her throat; the men looked up. One of them, the younger, blonde-haired man, looked down again with a snort of derision. The other, older, white-haired and with an air of assurance, smiled benignly at Hermione.  
  
"Yes, Hermione, what can I do for you?" Then his eyes settled on Thor, and his twinkling eyes sharpened instantly. He remained silent, however, and Hermione was left to introduce Thor.  
  
"Headmaster, this is War Mage Thor," she said calmly. "George brought him up from the battle; he was apparently asking to see you." One corner of Thor's mouth twitched. "By the way, have you found anything?"  
  
"Nothing," the blond man said waspishly. "Of course, we'd probably find something quicker if you'd help us, know-it-all."  
  
"Don't say things you don't mean, Draco," Hermione said wearily. "Of course I'll help." She moved to take a book from one of the piles, and sat down to read it. Dumbledore continued to look curiously at Thor, who stared evenly back.  
  
"I am not so conceited," Dumbledore started softly, "as to think that the Circle of Mages would send a War Mage to help us with this battle. Therefore I must presume that you come either out of curiosity or from some personal reason. I sincerely hope that either reason will lead you to aid us in some way."  
  
"You are right," Thor said shortly. "The Council of Mages would never permit us to partake of your war, it is not what we do. However, they did grant me permission to come…and it is a personal reason, and it will aid your fight." He stifled a sigh. Goodbye, freedom, he thought miserably. "I'm rather surprised that you don't recognise me, Professor. I haven't changed that much, surely."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes widened fractionally. "Harry?" he breathed. Hermione and Draco both looked up, scrutinising Thor intently. "Harry…"  
  
"Yes," Thor agreed. "It's me." He managed an impish grin. "I told you I'd come back someday. The Council wouldn't let me before, or I'd have been here already, but…" He was cut off by Hermione standing up, trembling.  
  
"How dare you?" she demanded hoarsely. "How dare you just come back here, after all this time! We thought you were dead, Harry! We thought…we thought you'd abandoned us! Do you have any idea what we went through, while you were off…I don't know, gallivanting about the world!" Thor merely stared at her. Then he rolled up his sleeves calmly and methodically, ignoring the bemused stares of the three watching him. He held out his arms so they could see the lines of tattoos on the inside of his arms.  
  
"Each of these symbols," he stated, "is in the language of the dragons. They proclaim to the world the different magics I have mastered. There are ten, one for each year I spent with the Circle. Mages are only required to know five, but since they wouldn't let me leave, I used the time to learn all ten. This last year I have spent trying to persuade the Council of Mages that I am ready to return to the Wizarding world to deal with my past; today I managed it, and I came here as soon as they allowed me to do so. I have enough power to blow apart Hogwarts if I so wish, and I have dealt with worse things than Voldemort. I am sorry." He was so sarcastic now he was practically dripping with it. "I am sorry if my absence has caused problems, but if I had stayed I would have been dead within a year. Do you want me to leave? Just say so, and I'll return to the Mages. There's much more that I have to learn, and the Circle has been more of a home to me than Hogwarts ever was. So if you want me to leave, I will. Just say the word, Hermione."  
  
"Don't be a damned fool," Draco said hoarsely after a moment. "We don't want you to leave, Potter, it's just…dammit, Hermione's right. We had no idea where you were, and these past ten years have been hell on earth for us. If you had been here…you might not have made a difference, but people would still have had hope." He looked down, clearly embarrassed by his words. "There's none left to us now."  
  
Slowly, Thor raised his hand. A piercing silver light shot from his fingers, coalescing into the form of a prowling dragon. "There is now," he said quietly. "The Dragons are here."  
  
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"This way, Harry," Zodiac said firmly. Harry had followed his mentor through the intricate maze of passages that made up the Circle of Mages, and now through the large oak door that had always been forbidden to him before. He stepped inside, and his eyes widened fractionally at the murals on the walls. Dragons. Dozens of dragons, of all sizes, watched him lazily from the five walls of the room.  
  
"Here, you will be named," Zodiac told him softly. "I must go. I will be back for you when you are ready." And he left, closing the door behind him. Harry turned, observing all the dragons carefully. Dragons, he had been taught, were the heart and soul of the Mages, just as this room was the heart of the Circle.  
  
And now Harry thought he could hear them whispering to him, urging him to loosen his control on his power. He refused. He would not do that. It went against everything he had been taught in the past five years. It went against his very being to release his power in the way the dragons were telling him to…but they were dragons. Dragons were who the Mages were….they were one and the same…surely if they told him to do something, it must be right?  
  
No! Harry shook his head defiantly. If there was one thing he'd learnt from his experiences, it was to never just obey someone without knowing the reasons behind the request. So he turned his focus to the dragons on the walls, asking them why, why they wanted him to lose control. The answer quickly came back to him. Because they wanted to name him, they whispered. Because he needed to be named.  
  
That made sense, Harry supposed. But he still wouldn't do it. He knew what he could do if he lost control…it had happened once before, two years ago when he was learning Heart Magic. He had almost destroyed the school. That was when he had first been called before the Council of Mages, and they had discovered what was so special about him. He would never again deliberately do what the dragons were asking him to do…but what if he had to?  
  
Alright, little dragon, whispered the dragons. Close your eyes, and hold out your hands.  
  
Harry hesitated.  
  
You will not lose your precious control, little one. That was a test for you, and you passed it. Hold out your hands, and we will name you.  
  
Harry closed his eyes, and held his hands out, palms up. He could feel power building up around him, centring on him, baring his very soul to the dragons. Then his eyes flew open as a silver light shot from his hands, forming a dragon that prowled around him at the level of his head.  
  
Thunder child, the dragons whispered, sounding amused. Thunder. Thor. You are Thor.  
  
Thank you, Harry said silently. I am Thor. Little dragon. Thunder child. Thor.  
  
Thor. His name reverberated around the room as his silver dragon vanished, and the dragons on the wall ceased their predatory movements and stilled. Behind him, the door opened, and Zodiac stepped in.  
  
"Give me your name," Zodiac said, commandingly. Harry smiled, the enigmatic smile that so infuriated the Mages. "Thor," he replied simply. "I am Thor." Zodiac gazed at him measuringly for a moment, then nodded. "You are Thor," he agreed.  
  
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Thor turned from the window as the room began to fill with quiet murmurings. The witches and wizards that had gathered here had not noticed him; he had put a concealing spell on himself, and he would only be revealed when he spoke. He wanted to see who was here, who Dumbledore had called to help War Mage Thor, and the Boy Who Lived. He grimaced. He was not special because of that. That…incident, was a result of who he was, it had not made him who he was.  
  
But the Wizarding world didn't know why he was special, and there was no way he could tell them. They would not understand, they were not Mages. Except…his eyes flickered to Draco Malfoy, who was writing something in a corner. A flicker of desire rippled through him, and he clamped down on it quickly. Draco Malfoy, who was born under a Unicorn Moon. Not the Dragon Moon, but close enough that some Unicorns had learnt to be Mages, under the correct tutelage. Of course, there was always the Unicorn School, but it wasn't half as good as the Circle of Mages, and fell under their jurisdiction.  
  
Yes, Draco must definitely be seen to. He was positively reeking of Unicorn magic, and that could complicate things. Not to mention that Thor was most interested in how Draco had changed sides…  
  
He shook his head. Stop thinking about Draco, he told himself sharply. Are you a War Mage or not? Yes? So pay attention, Dumbledore's talking.  
  
Trying to ignore the fact that he had just argued with himself, Thor walked over to sit in a chair that had been placed next to Dumbledore's for him. They still couldn't see him, so he took the opportunity to look around at everyone whilst Dumbledore droned on about the progress they were making, who was dead, who had defected, and what they thought the Death Eaters were now up to.  
  
His eyes were first drawn to Snape. The Potions Master had turned grey at some point, but his eyes were still as piercing as ever, if a little less full of hate when he looked at the man opposite him, Sirius Black. Sirius, who looked better than he had when Thor had last seen him, was still on the thin side, and looked as though he hadn't been getting enough sleep. Noticeably absent from his side was Remus Lupin. McGonagall, Arthur, Molly and Percy Weasley were also gone, but replacing them were Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ginny. Thor wondered, with a pang of regret, what had happened to Ron.  
  
Then his attention was drawn back to Dumbledore as Snape asked, just as sarcastically as always, "So where is this fantastic Mage who supposedly is here to aid us in the war?"  
  
"Right here, of course," Thor said calmly. The entire room seemed to jump an inch at his sudden appearance. "I must say, Snape, you haven't changed a bit."  
  
Snape was staring at him as though he'd seen a ghost. So, for that matter, was everyone else. But Thor kept his attention on Dumbledore. "So these are the people you think can help me?" he inquired, eyebrows raised. "Well, I suppose…and if I call in some favours I have with the dragons…"  
  
"Voldemort has control of all the dragons," Draco snapped from his corner. "Being a Mage, I'd have thought you'd know that." Thro sent him a withering gaze. "Dragons serve no-one," he said clearly. "Except themselves. You'd do well to remember that, Draco." His eyes burnt into Draco's grey gaze; the Unicorn-born man looked away first, and Thor nodded, looking back at the group.  
  
"The dragons will help," he said firmly. "We can count on their support. Do we know where Voldemort is?" There was some muttering; it was Ginny Weasley who replied, looking more calm about seeing him again than anyone else was – the rest were all still gob smacked.  
  
"In London," she said simply. "The old Ministry of Magic buildings. It's the Death Eater centre, and, although we're not one hundred percent positive, we're sure enough that he's there." Thor nodded, his thoughts racing…all centring on Voldemort. Then his eyes snapped up, burning, to meet Dumbledore's as he remembered something that he had always wanted to know.  
  
"Do you know," he started carefully, "the exact date of Voldemort's birth?"  
  
"How does that matter, Harry?" Bill asked, frowning. Thor took a breath, trying to be patient. "My name is Thor," he said, his voice as hard as dragon scales. "And it matters because if he was born under a Moon, he may have been taught some magical powers at some point that would explain some of the things he has been able to do."  
  
"Unfortunately, I don't know the exact date," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "However, I'm sure it will be in the old school records, assuming they are still somewhere around." He looked over at Draco. "Mr Malfoy, I don't suppose…?" Draco nodded, and pulled a piece of paper towards him. He scanned it quickly, then tapped on the wall. A drawer opened, and he pulled a file from it.  
  
"Second of March, nineteen forty-three," he read. He looked up at Thor inquiringly. "Is it important.?" Thor leant back thoughtfully. "I'll need to check," he mused. "Nineteen forty-three…the year of the Chimaera…"  
  
"Is that bad?" Charlie Weasley demanded quietly. Thor shrugged. "Depends what Moon he was born under, if any," he replied. "Moons are rare, and practically never in the year of the Chimaera…but I wonder…" He rose abruptly and moved to stare out of the window. Dragons whispered in his head, and he brushed them aside impatiently. He could listen to them later. Now he had more important things to deal with.  
  
He turned back to the expectant group. "I can't make a move before I know whether Voldemort was born under a Moon," he said quietly. "I'll ask a Mage to help, but I can't guarantee anything – if he won't help, I'll have to go back to the Circle to look it up myself – that, or ask the dragons, but I suspect that none of you would take kindly to a dragon turning up on the front lawn."  
  
"I don't know," Charlie started. "I haven't seen a dragon in ages…" He subsided at the glare Sirius sent him. Sirius, who had been mute with shock from seeing his godson again, now looked up at Thor.  
  
"How long are you staying, Harry?" he asked quietly. For a long moment it seemed as though the green-eyed Mage wasn't going to answer; then, slowly, he shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "As long as it takes, or until I cross the line."  
  
"Cross the line?" Draco queried harshly. Thor's head whipped around to scrutinise him. Yes, Draco would definitely have to be dealt with. He sighed, and rubbed at the scar on his forehead. "There is a fine line, Draco, between using Mage powers and abusing them," he explained. "My views on this…differ somewhat from those of the Council of Mages. Unfortunately, I have to do what they tell me. Therefore, if they believe that I have crossed the line, I will either be taken back to the Circle of Mages, or…put on trial by fire. And don't ask what that is, because it's Mage magics that you couldn't comprehend. Besides, if I told you, I'd be taken back to the Council and you'd most likely be silenced."  
  
Draco stared at him curiously for a long moment. Then he looked back down at the papers in front of him, and Thor returned to scrutinising the gardens through the window.  
  
"It sounds like a hard life," Fred said at last. "Why did you choose it, Harry? Sorry, Thor."  
  
It was an interesting question, Thor mused as he smiled his enigmatic smile and ignored the question. Why had he become a Mage? Well, that was obvious. It was who he was – he had been born a Mage, a dragon child. He could no more avoid that destiny than he could alter it.  
  
But he could change the fate of others because of it, he realised, as his gaze again fell on Draco. Then he looked back at Dumbledore. "If that's all, Professor, I really should contact my friend to see if he can help me." He was going to leave whether Dumbledore said the meeting was over or not, but luckily the old wizard nodded, said something irrelevant about somebody staying in the East Tower, and dismissed everyone. Thor immediately moved towards the door, then stopped and turned back.  
  
"By the way," he started. "Mages are trained to have very good reflexes – I suggest none of you sneak up on me, or startle me. I'd hate to have to undo an unintentional curse." Then he disappeared through the door.  
  
It hadn't been as bad as he'd expected, but then again he hadn't really allowed them to ask questions about what had happened to him. And he supposed that to see him as a fully-competent Mage when the last time they had seen him, he had been a sixth-year…  
  
"Harry!" Thor ignored the caller; he knew who it was, of course, but he never answered to that name anymore if he could help it. "Harry!" A pause. Then: "Thor?"  
  
Thor paused and half-turned, waiting until Draco had caught up with him. Then he continued walking. "Yes, Draco?" he inquired. "Did you want something?"  
  
"You know what I want, Thor," came the slightly breathless answer. "I was born under a Unicorn Moon. Help me. Teach me." Thor stopped abruptly and turned to Draco, his eyes burning into the man, seeming to burn right through him and see his innermost secrets.  
  
"You don't know what you're asking, Malfoy," the Mage said in a low, terrible voice. "To be a Mage…it's a sacrifice, Malfoy, and an honour, and something that Unicorn-borns can't often be. Only one in a thousand Mages wasn't born under a Dragon Moon. You'd do better to approach the school for Unicorn-borns…they'd be more suited for you."  
  
"No. That's not good enough. I want to be a Mage, not a Skyhealer," Draco said fiercely. "I may have been born under a Unicorn Moon, but I was born in the year of the Dragon, just like you. I have a right to try."  
  
Thor stared curiously at him. "You know a lot, for someone who isn't a Mage."  
  
"I can read, Thor. And I've talked to a dragon."  
  
"You have?" Thor demanded sharply. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have been killed, you could have been magically-inept for the rest of your life – only trained Mages are allowed to talk to dragons!" He paused. "Or special cases," he admitted slowly. "Which I suspect you might be." Grey eyes stared defiantly at him. Thor sighed. "You don't know what it is you're asking," he said finally. "Until you do, I can't accept you as a student."  
  
He set off again, and Draco hurried to catch up. "Can I watch?" he asked abruptly. Thor looked oddly at him. "So I can understand."  
  
"Fine. Just don't interrupt."  
  
Thor led the way down to the lake. It was from there that he would be able to contact Zodiac easiest. He led Draco to a secluded bank, where he dropped to his knees at the side of the water, pulled out a vial from an inner pocket of his shirt, and dropped three drops of a silver liquid into the water. The liquid burned a brilliant light that made Draco shield his eyes; a moment later the light went, and Thor could see the face of his old teacher staring amusedly up at him.  
  
"You've been gone three hours, Thor. I hope you don't need my help already."  
  
"Never," Thor retorted with a smile. "I just need some information about nineteen forty-three, the second of March. I know it was the year of the Chimaera, but what Moon was it then?" Zodiac frowned thoughtfully. "Funny," he mused. "I think that was…yes, it was the Basilisk Moon that night – it was an odd one, which is why I remember it."  
  
Thor suddenly looked incredibly grim. "Thanks, Zodiac," he said shortly. "That helps a lot. I'll see you when I see you."  
  
"Watch your back," Zodiac said gravely. Then the bright light flashed again, and the liquid-portal on the lake disappeared. Thor stood up slowly and turned to face Draco. This, he decided silently, was definitely not good. His fingers tapped lightly on the hilt of the dagger at his waist.  
  
"I think," he said finally, "that I had better contact the dragons tomorrow. Malfoy, please tell Dumbledore that things have become more complicated. I…I'd probably better go to see Sirius. If you still want to train to be a Mage –" Draco drew in a short breath – "and if you can fulfil all the conditions, I will teach you, starting tonight, in the fairy garden at the back of the castle."  
  
"Of course I still want to train," Draco said hotly. "I haven't changed my mind in the last five minutes." He hesitated. "Although from the expression on your face," he continued slowly, "I'm thinking you want me to." Thor let out a groan, and strode towards Draco. He pulled the other man close to him, his hands firmly gripped on Draco's shoulders. He could feel Draco's hot breath on his face.  
  
"To train to be a Mage," he hissed, "is the most dangerous thing anyone could ever wish to do. It requires complete dedication, complete attention, and a pure soul. I haven't been around four ten years, so I don't know how pure your soul is now, Draco Malfoy, so I'll have to do the test by Moon to certify that, tonight at midnight. There are no barriers between teacher and student, if you want to learn the Dragon Mage Magics – none whatsoever. You share everything with the one who chooses you for his or her apprentice – mind, soul…and body." Draco's eyes sharpened suspiciously. "Everything, Draco…think about it before you commit. There's no turning back. You will have nothing left of your own by the time you're finished…your soul will have been stripped bare by me, taken apart piece by piece, and put back together as I think is fit. Then, and only then, will you be able to complete your training…then you will be named. Then you are free to follow your own wishes, under the leadership of the Circle. Before then, you would be under my leadership, my protection, my orders."  
  
He paused, trying to calm himself down and let Draco absorb a little of this. He shouldn't have flown off the handle, he cursed himself. But dammit, Draco looked so…desirable, just standing there in front of him, practically begging to be his apprentice…  
  
"You have until dusk to think about it," he completed quietly. "If you still want to commit…then meet me here when the sun goes down, and I'll show you the dragons, and you will be officially named as my apprentice. If you don't come, do not ask me again. Go to the Unicorn school, if you still wish to train your powers." With that, he swept past Draco and returned to the castle.  
  
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"Concentrate, Harry," Zodiac said wearily. "I know you can do this."  
  
Harry let out a breath, pushed his fringe away from his forehead, and closed his eyes again. He reached inside him for the well of silver magic, drew a thread of it out, moulded it with his mind, and then threw it across the room to his teacher. It fell short. He frowned mentally. It shouldn't have done that. He drew it in, then threw it again. It went too far.  
  
"Try without picturing it," came the quiet voice of his teacher. "You might find that easier."  
  
Harry nodded, his eyes still closed, and imagined reaching out and touching his teacher, fixing the Heart Magic to him like that. His eyes flashed open as suddenly he could feel whatever Zodiac was feeling. He gave a weary smile.  
  
"I think I've got it," he said quietly. "Is that right?" Zodiac was about to reply when then was a flash of silver light, a huge bang, and the room was blown apart. Harry was thrown backwards, and landed in the middle of the next room, half-covered in rubble. Zodiac, who had managed to stay standing, was by his side in an instant, moving the rubble and pressing his hand to Harry's cheek.  
  
'Harry, are you alright?" he demanded. "What did you do?" Harry was having trouble focusing on the older man. "I'm not sure," he said vaguely. "I think it was the dragon." Then he slumped into unconsciousness.  
  
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	2. New Relationships

Disclaimer: None of it is mine if you recognise it; for full disclaimer see part one  
  
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The sun had just disappeared from sight. Darkness surrounded Hogwarts, and a moon danced around the clouds in the skies above. War Mage Thor was kneeling outside Hogwarts, preparing his spells. Around him he could see his old friends, all curious as to what he was about to do. He smiled a grim smile. Perhaps now they might understand what a War Mage is, he mused to himself.  
  
Draco had yet to come. Thor hoped that the man had changed his mind…and yet part of him rejected that possibility. He knew that Draco was to be his apprentice…and he hated himself for knowing it. With a sigh, Thor pulled a small leather bag from an inner pocket of his shirt, took a pinch of the powder in it, and sprinkled it in a circle around himself. Not that he needed it to speak to the dragons, of course, but this was a demonstration – even if his audience didn't know it.  
  
He looked up suddenly. Draco was here. Green eyes met stormy eyes as for a long, long moment they gazed at each other. Then Thor nodded slowly. "Wait until I make the circle," he ordered. "Then step inside it." Draco nodded. Thor rose, and started walking anticlockwise in a circle that was about thirty metres wide, muttering words under his breath. This part was necessary – and very, very difficult. Technically Mages weren't allowed to perform this magic without at least three other Mages with them…but Thor was no ordinary Mage. A trail of silvery light followed his footsteps, and then the circle was complete, and Thor returned to the centre of the circle of powder he had sprinkled before.  
  
"Come into the circle, Draco," he commanded, his voice echoing across the grounds. Draco hesitated, then stepped over the silver barrier to join Thor. "Good. Now stay quiet, and whatever you do, don't get distracted." Draco frowned slightly, and Thor managed a smile. "This is some of the hardest magic there is," he explained. "To summon dragons from outside the Circle of Mages. There the magics are all so closely entwined with the dragons that it's relatively easy, although we aren't allowed to do it in groups of less than three. Here, where the magic is so diluted by all the people who live and work here, it's much harder."  
  
"But you're doing it alone," Draco protested. "Surely –"  
  
"I am powerful enough to control it," Thor overrode him calmly. "I have a…special connection with the dragons. They have never denied me, so I will not need to complete the summoning. They will come before I finish." Draco nodded, and Thor closed his eyes. He reached deep inside himself for the well of silver power that dwelt within him, and surrounded himself with it. He whispered words in dragon-tongue, and from far away he felt a reply. His eyes snapped open; his power was like a whirlwind, but he had confined it to this circle. He couldn't see anyone outside the circle anymore…the magic was so great it felt like he was being ripped from his body…  
  
'Come,' he whispered in dragon-tongue. 'Come to me…I need you…I speak to you now, dragons, come to your child, come to me…'  
  
A single voice came to him from the dragon-voices shrieking in his head.  
  
'What do you need, little dragon?' the voice whispered. 'Why do you call us?'  
  
'I wish to name my apprentice,' Thor answered it. 'And I need your help to defeat my enemies.'  
  
'The naming of your apprentice, I will witness,' the voice consented after an agonising moment. 'But your enemies, my little one, are your own.'  
  
'I have been promised help by your kind,' Thor protested, pain ripping through his body yet again. 'Please, I beg you, help me!' He waited for a moment. 'He is Basilisk-born in a Chimaera Year,' he told the dragon. 'Please, I cannot defeat him on my own…he will take over all the world! Your own kind are –'  
  
'I know,' the dragon told him softly. 'But you are Mage. Mage do not interfere with wizards…not even you, little one. And you have power enough to defeat him by yourself. You are special, my little dragon-babe. You have the power…now, why don't you stop this ridiculous summoning spell so you can see me properly?' The dragon sounded too amused for safety, so Thor reached out blindly with his open hands and made a gathering motion. All the silver power that was raging around them was swiftly sucked back into him. Thor blinked, and swayed on his feet. The summoning had gone on for longer than he expected, and the pain had been worse than ever before. Draco gripped his arm firmly to keep him upright. Thor had eyes only for the dragon who sat placidly in front of him, but he could hear the uneasy, shocked, and scared whispers of the watchers outside the circle.  
  
'Give me your name, little dragon,' the dragon commanded, rearing his head. Thor frowned faintly. 'Thor,' he said softly. 'My name is Thor.'  
  
'NO!' the dragon shouted. Thor was ripped from Draco and pushed back against his barrier with the force of it. A sharp glance at Draco ensured that the man would stay within the inner circle, then Thor struggled to his feet again. 'Give me your *name*!' the dragon demanded again.  
  
'Harry Potter,' Thor said, the words turning into a scream as pain ripped through him again. This was definitely not supposed to happen. 'Thor. Thunder child. Little dragon. That is my name.'  
  
'Good, little one,' the dragon said, quieter now, approving. The pain receded. 'But you still do not understand.' Thor frowned, but the dragon changed the subject. 'I am Wyvrient-malothkma. Present to me your apprentice for naming.' Thor made his way to the inner circle, where Draco was still standing, watching Thor anxiously and shooting nervous glances at the dragon.  
  
"Draco," he rasped. "Step out of the circle." Draco stepped out quickly. Thor turned to the dragon. 'This is my apprentice,' he said hoarsely. 'Draco Malfoy, born of the Unicorns in a Dragon Year.'  
  
The dragon met Draco's eyes for a long moment. Then he nodded. 'He will do, little dragon. Teach him well. See that he does not stray. When he is Named again, I will come again. Until then…do not hesitate to call upon me, my little one.' With that, the dragon took off into the skies, flying towards the moon until it could no longer be seen. Only when the dragon had gone did Thor let down the silvery magical barrier and allow himself to fall to the ground.  
  
But he didn't fall. He was caught by Draco, who gently lowered him. Thor gripped Draco's arm as the man would have pulled away.  
  
"It's done," he said hoarsely. "You have been named my apprentice."  
  
"Are you alright?" Draco demanded urgently. Thor closed his eyes for a moment, assessing his condition. "I'll live," he said finally. "But by the dragons themselves, I feel like hell." And he allowed himself to fall into a sleep-like trance that would, he hoped, heal him swifter than any normal sleep or potion.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Draco, what did he do last night?"  
  
"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you, Weasley."  
  
"Malfoy, I've had it up to here with you, you little –"  
  
"Shut up, Fred. Draco's right. If I'm right…last night Draco became Harry's – sorry, Thor's apprentice."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"But what was he saying to the dragon? Draco, do you know if he expected this to happen?"  
  
"I didn't," Thor inserted, not opening his eyes. "I didn't expect anything of the sort. It was quite interesting, really." He opened his eyes, tried to sit up, winced, and stayed lying down. "Even if the consequences aren't so good," he conceded. He quickly glanced around to see who was there; Fred and George Weasley, Hermione, Draco, Sirius, Snape, and Dumbledore. "Draco, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine," the blond nodded. "What happened last night?" Thor frowned thoughtfully, trying to ignore the inquiring looks of everyone else. "I'm not sure," he commented. "At least…" He shook his head. "I'll explain later, when I start training you," he said firmly. "The dragons aren't going to help us," he told Dumbledore then. "I know I said they would, and I don't know why they're not…" He frowned again as the words of the dragon came back to him. 'You have power enough to defeat him by yourself. You are special, my little dragon-babe.'  
  
"Come on," Draco said suddenly to the others. "Thor needs to rest, and you need to research." All but Sirius left hurriedly; the older man hovered at the door of what Thor realised must be Draco's rooms.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" Sirius asked anxiously. Thor smiled what he hoped was a comforting smile, and nodded. "I'm fine," he assured. "I just need to think. I'll see you later." Sirius nodded, and left. Thor looked back at Draco, sighed, and closed his eyes again.  
  
"What happened last night, Thor?" Draco asked quietly. "That – I'm certain that wasn't supposed to happen." Thor opened his eyes again. "No," he agreed seriously. "It wasn't. But it wasn't because I should, technically, have had two other Mages with me. It was…I'm not sure, actually. Something about me." Draco raised an eyebrow in inquiry. Thor sighed. "Okay, this is the only time I'm going to explain this," he warned. "It's a despicable subject, and I hate it. We were both born in a Dragon year. I was born under a Dragon Moon, which is, of course, why I was approached by the Mages instead of approaching them. But I was also born on a Dragon Sun, which only occurs every several thousand years, and is incredibly powerful. So I was born in a Dragon Year, Sun and Moon, which basically means that I'm a Dragon Child. I'm bound to them as long as I live and longer, and in return I get to channel their magics more than any other Mage. It's annoying, but occasionally helpful." He took a moment to look at Draco, who was staring at him in disbelief. "There's a lot more to it than that, of course," he relented. "There's a couple of prophecies, the nasty fact that the Circle of Mages now think they own me, and some rather annoying baby dragons I'm occasionally called to look after, but apart from that…" He shrugged.  
  
"I've read about Dragon Suns," Draco said at last. "I know about…how powerful Mages are if they're born under one. But how could you have been born under a Sun and a Moon? I mean, that's impossible!"  
  
"No," Thor contradicted, "it's actually not, if the child is born on the twelfth stroke of midnight, and it only works if it's the same symbol – dragon and dragon, or unicorn and unicorn, for example – because the Sun will reappear for a split second in the sky whilst the Moon is still there. It's a complicated Astral-natal thing, and I pretty much failed that class. Well, I didn't fail it, but it wasn't my best subject, which is why I became a War Mage and not a Moon Mage, or as I more commonly call them, Trackers." He grinned suddenly. "Any chance of some breakfast?"  
  
Draco's snort of laughter rang in his ears as his new apprentice moved away to find some food, and Thor stretched on the bed. I wonder, he thought suddenly, if the Circle felt my spell last night.  
  
Then Draco returned. Thor thanked him absently as he pulled himself into a sitting position, and jumped on the food. It felt like he hadn't eaten in three days. In fact, he mused, he probably hadn't. He had a tendency to forget food if he was busy, and he most certainly had been busy for the past few days. When he was finished, he leant back against he pillows with a sigh, Draco watching him expectantly.  
  
"There is no way on earth or heaven," Thor started, "that I'm teaching you anything practical today. And besides, you need to re-learn all your magical theory." Draco nodded silently. Thor was starting to get frustrated with this silence from the man he'd always associated with passionate, if hasty, words. And he suspected he knew the reason why. "Honestly, Draco, I'm not God just because I'm –"  
  
"Just because you're practically the Messiah for every magical beast and being on the planet?" Draco snorted. "Perhaps not, but you're as close as makes no difference." Thor's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he made no comment. Draco caught the look though, and sighed. "Look, I know you hate having people expect things of you – Merlin knows you had enough of that at school – but no-one here knows that you're the Dragon Child, and I'm not going to tell anyone."  
  
"Thank you," Thor said at last. "I appreciate that." He grinned suddenly. "Now, I'd better go and look at that barrier I put up around the castle to see if there's been any damage. You can start learning this." He pulled a book from the air and shoved it at Draco. "The Elementary Theory of Dragon Magic, or Mages," he explained. "Mages are required to know everything in there…you can start with chapter one, on Moons. I'll be back in an hour or so." He peeled the bedclothes back, stood up on unsteady legs, and gathered his various weapons from the table, placing them in their sheaths or clasps with care. He moved to the door, glanced back once at his new student, then left the rooms.  
  
The hall was filled with people, all of whom openly stared at Thor in his Mage uniform as he strode towards the stairs at the end of the hall. He ignored them; he had a sneaking suspicion that he was in for a visit from the Council, and he couldn't afford to be distracted anyway. Not with Draco as his apprentice, and not with that message the dragon had give him…if that damn prophecy was about to come true, he'd –  
  
"Thor!" someone called. Thor whipped around, his hand resting on his wand. Then he relaxed. 'Sorry, Hermione," he apologised. "Force of habit." Hermione nodded, and joined him on his way down the stairs. "Was there something you wanted?"  
  
"Actually, yes," Hermione admitted. "I've been doing a lot of research on different types of magics…and after that, uh, demonstration last night, I was hoping that perhaps you could help me." Thor halted and looked at her seriously. "Hermione, I've just taken an apprentice," he reminded her. "Draco Malfoy, for crying out loud. I have to be there for him twenty-four hours a day…technically, we should both be in the Circle for his training, but as it is I'm expecting the Council to butt their nosy, annoying heads into my business to see what I'm doing. And there's Voldemort – he was born under a bad Moon, Hermione. I'll be able to defeat him…I hope…but it'll take a lot of time and effort, and I just don't have time for anything else right now."  
  
"Fine," Hermione said quietly. "But can you just answer one question for me?" Thor nodded. "If I can," he agreed. Hermione bit her lip for a moment, then blurted her question out. "How many types of Magic have you mastered?"  
  
Thor frowned thoughtfully. "Uh…well, Basic Magic, and Soul Magic," he said slowly. "Heart Magic, and War Magic, of course. Beast Magic, Unicorn Magic, Basilisk Magic and Illusion Magic. Er…oh yes, Griffin Magic, and, of course, Dragon Magic." Hermione stared at him, completely nonplussed. Thor smiled wickedly. "Of course, Mages are only required to learn Dragon, Heart, Soul, Basic and Illusion Magics," he said innocently. "Then they specialise…only I had a lot of time, so I pretty much learnt everything."  
  
"Okay," Hermione said faintly. "Thanks, Harry. Uh, Thor, sorry." Thor's eyes held hers sharply for a moment, then he softened. "Call me Harry," he said quietly. "Mages…our given names are used by people close to us. I know I haven't been here…but I would hope that perhaps we might be friends again some day?"  
  
Hermione gazed at him shrewdly for a long moment, then she smiled and nodded. "I hope that too – Harry," she agreed. "Now, you'd better go and do…whatever it is you have to do. I have to, uh…go and meet George." She blushed, and Thor couldn't resist. "I never would have thought it," he teased. "You and George."  
  
"Oh, go away," Hermione said laughingly. "It's not the strangest pairing to come out of this damned war."  
  
"What is?"  
  
Hermione hesitated, glanced around them, leant in close to Thor, and whispered, "Parvati Patil and Blaise Zabini." Thor drew back in complete disbelief. "It's true, I swear. But you didn't hear it from me, and I have to take these books to Professor Dumbledore." With that, she swiftly walked away, leaving Thor staring after her.  
  
Then he made his way down to the entrance hall, and managed to slip through the large front doors without being noticed – even if he did cheat by using magic. He gazed down for a long moment at the remnants of the circle he had created last night. The power had completely gone, but there was a burnt circle in the grass in its place. Several dragon scales also littered the grass, and he quickly gathered them up. They would be useful for Draco later on.  
  
Then he made his way down towards Hogsmeade, where, he hoped, he would find the Death Eaters. He needed information, and they would be the best place to start. He was pleased to see that his barrier was still there. Death Eaters were standing at intervals on the other side of it, watching him angrily. He smiled winningly, and stepped through the silver magics.  
  
"Hello," he smiled at the nearest Death Eater. "I don't suppose you could take me to whoever's in charge of you here? I'd appreciate it." The Death Eater stared at him impassively. Thor lost his patience. "Now, if you don't mind," he snapped. His wand leapt into his hand, and he held it up threateningly. "You don't want to see what I can do with a wand."  
  
"Who are you?" the Death Eater demanded harshly. "Why should I do what you want?"  
  
Thor spoke very slowly, as if he was speaking to a child. "Well, one reason is because I'm War Mage Thor," he said. "And another is that I could blow you to bits with one word if I wanted to." He smiled brilliantly. "Or, of course, there's always the fact that I'm Harry Potter."  
  
The Death Eater gaped, stuttered, then turned and led Thor towards the village. The other Death Eaters watched them go in silence. Thor took the opportunity to look around Hogsmeade as he was led towards the Death Eater headquarters. The village that he remembered with fondness had been almost completely decimated; there was obviously no one living here anymore. He could see, over the piles of burnt rubble, the Shrieking Shack, still standing, but silently. He could see other Death Eaters wandering about, laughing, and he grimaced at it. He cast a protection spell over himself just as an afterthought. It wouldn't do, he reminded himself with a small smile, to deprive Draco of a teacher when he had only just begun learning.  
  
"In here," the Death Eater told him, pushing open a door. Thor inclined his head and held out a hand for the Death Eater to go first, then stepped into the building after him. He found himself in a large room, filled with Death Eaters and, for some reason, cages of Elves. Harry felt anger rise in him as the small Elves, recognising who he was, began calling out to him in their language. But for the moment he had to ignore them as a man stepped forward. Thor's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Why, Ron," he said coolly. "I never thought I'd see you here." The red- headed man looked him up and down disparagingly. "Who is this, McLonys?" he demanded of the Death Eater who had brought Thor in. "I thought your orders were clear."  
  
"Y-yes, sir," the Death Eater stuttered. "But sir, he was the one to put up that barrier yesterday – he says he's a War Mage – he says he's Harry Potter!"  
  
Ron's eyes flashed back to meet Thor's instantly. Thor raised one eyebrow slightly. "Personally," he said in a conversational tone, "I think that you should be more worried about the fact that I'm a fully competent War Mage than about the fact that my name is Harry Potter. Although, of course, the fact that you're a Death Eater, Ron, and you used to be my best friend, would give you cause to worry because of my name rather than my powers."  
  
"All of you," Ron snapped at the Death Eaters. "Out, now." They hurried to do his bidding. Thor stepped past Ron and sat down comfortably. "Harry Potter. I must say, I never thought I'd see you again."  
  
"Thor, Ron. My name is Thor," Thor said, the hint of a threat in his voice. "Why don't you sit down? This could take a while, depending on how cooperative you are." The cries of the Elves were really starting to do his head in, so he glanced over at them, soothing them in their language and assuring them that he would help them as soon as he was finished.  
  
Ron did sit down, opposite Thor, his eyes narrowed. He looked absolutely furious. Thor felt nothing less, but his anger was coupled with a kind of pained betrayal that he knew he had no right to feel. He had, after all, been the one to leave. But it had been worth it, his mind insisted, even as his cool eyes took in all of Ron. Oh yes, it had been worth it.  
  
"So," he started pleasantly. "Why don't we start with how on earth you, Ron Weasley, became a Death Eater?" Ron remained silent. Thor started to lose his grip on his temper, something he knew he couldn't afford to do. "Ron, I'm waiting."  
  
"It's none of your business, Thor," Ron said coldly, stressing the Mage's name. "You're the one who left, after all. You no longer have any claim on me." A window smashed. Thor winced as he glanced at it, then muttered a word. The glass re-formed. "Tut, tut," Ron said dryly. "You seem a little upset at my words."  
  
"Upset? No," Thor smiled peacefully. "Angry, certainly. By the way, how on earth did you manage to capture elves?" he looked back at the Elves, who were quietly waiting for him to finish. He flashed them a quick grin. He could see Ron growing more angry. "Alright, we'll leave the Elves out of this for the moment." He leant back in the chair, relaxing. "Now, since I've been away for quite some time, I'd rather like to catch up on what's been happening. I want you to tell me."  
  
"Why not ask those ridiculous freedom fighters up in the castle?" Ron sneered. Thor's eyebrows shot up. "You're worse than Draco used to be," he commented.  
  
"Malfoy!" Ron spat. "What does that slimy traitor have to do with anything?" Thor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He is my apprentice," he said coldly, his voice deathly quiet. "And he is no traitor, or the dragons would have refused him." He smiled again, his eyes still cool. "But that's besides the point, is it not? I want to know what's happened for the past ten years, and you, Ronald Weasley, are going to explain it to me, carefully, without leaving anything out." He glanced back at the Elves, who were again clamouring for his attention. "And I'd do it as quickly as possible, if I were you. Those Elves won't be contained for much longer."  
  
Ron glared at him with a fury that Thor had previously associated with the look Ron had reserved for Draco Malfoy. Thor steeled himself for a maelstrom of angry words, but they never came. Instead Ron clinically detailed everything that had happened to the wizarding world for the past ten years; the capture of the Ministry, the near-purging of muggle-borns, or those of impure descent. The control that Voldemort now held over all of wizarding Britain, and much of the muggle part as well.  
  
"And Voldemort is now in London?" Thor inquired finally. Ron didn't reply, and a corner of Thor's mouth twitched. "I thought so." He stretched and rose. "Well, you've been very helpful, Ron. I'll be sure to say hello to your brothers when I get back to the castle, oh, and Hermione too." His eyes dared Ron to retort, and Ron did not take up the challenge. Thor made a complicated symbol with his right hand, and the Elves in the cage disappeared. He looked back at Ron, a sad look in his eyes. "Things could have been different, Ron."  
  
"Yes," Ron agreed coolly, "if you had stayed."  
  
"I just want to know one thing," Thor said softly. "Why did you turn, Ron?"  
  
Ron gazed at him for a long, tense moment. "You left," he pronounced finally. "What was the point in staying?" Stung, Thor whirled and left Hogsmeade as quickly as was possible.  
  
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"You have been accepted by the Dragons, and you have received your Name," intoned one of the cloaked Council members. "Now we, the Council of the Circle of Mages, ask of you what you can offer this Circle."  
  
Thor, as he was newly Named, raised his chin, a little defiant. "I offer my powers and magics. I offer my strength, and my knowledge." From the silence around him he could tell that this was not enough. He took a deep breath, preparing to reveal the most guarded secret in the Circle. Only he himself, Zodiac, and two Council members knew of this. "I offer the Bond of a Dragon Child to the Dragon Mages."  
  
There was a murmur of surprise. One of the cloaked men stepped forward disbelievingly. "Who do you say has this Bond?" he demanded. Thor looked evenly. "I do," he replied. "I am a Dragon Child, born under a Dragon Moon and a Dragon Sun, in a Dragon Year. I am under the protection of the Dragons, from where I came, and I trust in them to all things." His voice became a little sharper. "Does this Council accept my offer?"  
  
"We do," came the cool, clear voice of the Council Leader. "We welcome you to our ranks, War Mage Thor, Dragon Child." Thor relaxed slightly as Zodiac stepped out from among the clocked Council. His mentor looked unusually grave.  
  
"Harry," he said quietly. "You know what you have done, by claiming that Bond?" Thor gave him a sardonic look. "No, Zodiac, I only passed Prophecies with an almost perfect score." He dropped the sarcastic act, letting Zodiac see that he was really afraid. "I know. I suspect I shan't get a moment's peace for the next decade." He let out a wry, slightly bitter chuckle. "Typical that it's me, right?" Zodiac had nothing to say; it was always his student, and he could not deny it.  
  
"What will you do now?" he asked instead. Thor's eyes flickered. "Well," he said slowly, "I doubt that the Council will allow me to return to help the Wizarding world." Zodiac scoffed at the very idea. "Exactly," Thor said. "So I'm going to keep on learning. A year for each Magic, right? I figure that I'll get at least three in before they let me."  
  
"What do you want to start on?" Zodiac wanted to know. Thor shrugged. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'll wait for the Dragons to tell me." Deep within his mind, he heard the voices of the dragons begin to whisper to him.  
  
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Nobody seemed to be around when Thor stalked through the school back to Draco's rooms. Perhaps, he thought to himself grimly, they had seen him and run. It was true that he was not in a good mood; in fact, if he was entirely truthful with himself, he was absolutely furious. He wished that someone had warned him that Ron – Ron Weasley, of all people – was leading the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. But no, they had all chosen to remain silent about that…even Draco.  
  
No, he told himself firmly, pausing to gaze out of a window. Draco had not done that on purpose. Of that he was certain, and with that thought firmly held in his mind he continued up to Draco's rooms.  
  
Draco was still carefully reading the book Thor had given him, but he looked up when Thor entered, a mildly surprised expression on his face. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon," he commented.  
  
"I didn't think I would be," Thor admitted. He sat down on the bed; the spell from last night was beginning to catch up with him again. "Don't suppose you know why no-one thought to tell me that Ron Weasley is a Death Eater?" Draco paled, and looked away. "Draco?"  
  
"I suppose we try not to think about it," Draco admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, I should have remembered to warn you. It's just…painful." He sighed, and leant back in his chair. "Ron turned about seven years ago, just after we'd all left Hogwarts. He and I…we were supposed to take the Mark together, only I wouldn't…I couldn't do it, so Snape got me away, and Ron took the Mark. He…he came up here as soon as he could, as soon as he had enough power. We all try to ignore it, because we had had no idea that he would do that, you see." He fell silenced, staring into space for a long moment. Thor sighed and shook his head.  
  
"It's not as surprising as some people might think," he observed. "As much as I used to like Ron, it is those sorts of people who flock to people with most power. Ron isn't as much of a follower as, say, Wormtail, but he's definitely in the same class of people. And I daresay my leaving without any word didn't help anything."  
  
"No," Draco murmured. "I don't think it did." He met Thor's eyes for a moment, then continued reading his book. Thor rose and moved to gaze, unseeing, out of the window.  
  
"Do you think I was wrong to leave?" Thor asked suddenly. Draco looked up from his book, fixing his stormy grey eyes on Thor. He considered the question carefully. "It depends on how you look at it," he said eventually. "If you had stayed, there's no guarantee that you would have been able to stop Voldemort. Now that you've had all these training, you probably will be able to defeat him. But a lot of people have been hurt." Thor turned to look at him; their eyes connected.  
  
Finally Thor looked away. "You've changed a lot, Draco," he said softly. "I'm not sure whether I understand you anymore." He didn't look back at Draco, but he heard the scraping of a chair, and soft footfalls coming towards him. A moment later Draco stepped in front of him, one hand comfortingly moving to rest on Thor's shoulder. "I don't think you ever really did," he observed quietly.  
  
Thor raised one eyebrow in mute enquiry that was never answered, as Draco's hand drifted up from his shoulder to trace his jaw line with light fingers. Thor's lips parted slightly as Draco's fingers moved down to rest on his chest, and Draco started to lean in closer…  
  
"No, Draco," he said firmly, despite his feelings to the contrary. "You're not ready for this."  
  
"You told me that teacher and student share everything," Draco murmured, clearly a little hurt. Thor's eyes held compassion, but he shook his head. "Yes," he agreed. "But you are not ready for this, Draco, and," with a rueful grin, "neither am I, thanks to that spell last night." He grew serious once more, and he mirrored Draco's previous action, his fingers gently stroking Draco's cheek. "Patience, Draco, is one of the first, and most important lessons that you will learn."  
  
"I have never been a patient man," Draco admitted softly. Thor smiled slightly. "It will get easier," he promised. "For one thing, from tomorrow I'm putting you under a physical regime the likes of which you've never seen. You'll be too tired to even think about sex. For another," and now he allowed himself a mischievous grin, "it's a Dragon law that when you're studying the Moons you have to remain celibate."  
  
Draco gave him a glare that would freeze ice, and returned to his book, disgruntled. Thor laughed at him, then began removing all his various weapons to clean them. After a few moments, Draco looked up again. "Did you say studying the Moons?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes," Thor said innocently. "You know, Moon-gazing, reading the chapters you're reading, that sort of thing."  
  
"And a physical regime."  
  
"Mages are nothing if not fit and healthy, Draco."  
  
"So I'm going to be moving all day and studying all night."  
  
"I did say you wouldn't have time to think about sex. Consider it your first lesson, Draco, and improve in it as quickly as you can."  
  
Draco was silent after that as he read and learnt as much as he could. Thor glanced at him every now and then, a little amused, but mostly he concentrated on his weapons. He was well aware that he would have to face Death Eaters in battle soon, probably frequently, but that wasn't really the reason why he felt the sudden urge to make sure all his equipment was in perfect working order. No, he was sure that any time now the Council of Mages – or at least their representatives – would arrive and demand to know what he was doing. Not that they could really order him around, considering who he was, but he felt an obligation to obey them. They were his superiors in rank, after all…most of them, anyway, and they all had the authority to order him back to the Circle with his new apprentice.  
  
Some of his gloomy thoughts must have made their way onto his face, because after a full moment where Thor merely stared into space, Draco sighed and pulled the dagger from his hands.  
  
"You're going to chop your hand off," he informed Thor testily. "What's the matter?" Thor shrugged. "Nothing much," he lied. "Go back to your book, and careful with that dagger, it was a present."  
  
"From who?" Draco inquired, inspecting the dagger carefully. Thor took it back swiftly and ran his fingers over the engraving. It had been carefully crafted in the dwarf-mines of Armorego, deep beneath the earth's surface, but it had been engraved and given to him by the Dragons when he had first met one of them…a token of her affection, she had called it…  
  
"A Dragon," he replied finally. "It's engraved with dragon-tongue; you'll learn that later. Now go back and read that damned book. I need to go and find Dumbledore." Draco nodded and sat back down; Thor sheathed the dagger, and left the room.  
  
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"Thor, I swear by all the Dragons, if you do that one more time I'll bloody well kill you!"  
  
Thor smirked at the irate woman. "Don't make promises you can't keep," he said glibly. "And don't swear by the Dragons, it's irreverent and pretty much the same as swearing by me." He ducked out of the way of her punch. "Really, Virgo, you should have asked me if you wanted to spar that desperately. You could do with it; I heard Seraph beat you last week."  
  
"She's up herself because she got appointed to the Council ahead of you," Virgo grumbled, but she didn't try to hit Thor any more. "Honestly, if you tried at all you'd have been on the Council years ago."  
  
Thor sent her an odd look. "Why would I want to do that?" he demanded. 'It's much more fun being able to do things, go places. And you can't learn more if you're on the Council; I'm in the middle of learning Beast Magic. You know that, Virgo."  
  
"How many does that make now?" Virgo demanded.  
  
"Seven; I have three more months on Beast Magic, then I'll move on to Basilisk Magic – it helps that I can talk to snakes – and after that, if I'm still here, Griffin Magic."  
  
"There are only twelve magics to learn," Virgo said quietly. "When do you plan to stop, Thor?"  
  
"Not until they let me go back to my old school and help them," came the familiar answer. "Besides, it's not like I can't handle the magic. You know I can."  
  
She gave a hollow, slightly bitter laugh. "Oh yes, Thor. Every novice who comes here knows that. It's only every other week that you're blowing up something."  
  
"I repeat, Virgo, that it is not my fault, it is the Dragons."  
  
"Thor, get in here!" yelled Zodiac from inside the apartment. "Your gadget is going crazy!" Thor heaved himself to his feet with a grimace. "Coming, Zodiac," he called back. He looked down at Virgo, who rose also. "I'll see you tomorrow, Virgo." She nodded, and stepped towards him, aiming to kiss him. He took a startled step back. "Virgo, I'm with Zodiac. You know that."  
  
"I know," Virgo sighed. "A girl can dream, can't she? Every Mage in the place is after you, Thor, hadn't you noticed?" She moved away into the apartment she shared with her teacher, and Thor stared after her in surprise before going in to his own teacher. Zodiac was attempting to get a floating Elven Ball to set itself down on the table. Thor made it rest with a wave of his hand.  
  
"If you are going to key it to your own magical signature, can you please not make it float," Zodiac said sternly. Then he noticed the oddly thoughtful expression on his apprentice's face. "What is it, Harry?"  
  
"Nothing," Thor said absently. "Just something Virgo said." He crossed the room into Zodiac's welcoming arms, and rested his head on the taller man's chest. "I'm just thinking," he murmured. "About going back…"  
  
"They won't let you," Zodiac said after a long moment.  
  
"I know."  
  
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To be continued. 


	3. The Council of Mages

Author's Notes: I've had such fantastic reviews from everyone, thank you! I didn't think this was such a great fic…but it's going places (I hope!). Anyway, here's the new chapter. Chapters, as you may have noticed, will either come very frequently or at intervals of about a week, depending on how busy I am. Sorry if anybody is on tenterhooks.  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer: as always, stuff you recognise is the property of the Mistress of the Universe, JK Rowling.  
  
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Thor was beginning to get a headache. He lifted his face from his hands – he had, several minutes before, resorted to burying his head in them in an attempt to become invisible – and glared at Snape.  
  
"No," he snapped. "There is no way that I am getting Draco involved in this. Not only is it not his problem, but he has also just become my apprentice! I'm not about to risk him dying, he has a good deal of power, but until it's trained, he's of no help. And again I say that it isn't his problem, it's mine."  
  
"And again I'm telling you that we need his help," Snape ground out. "He's a powerful wizard –"  
  
"no," Thor over-ruled coolly. "He relinquished that title the moment he was Named as my apprentice. He is a novice Mage; wizarding skills have no place in the Circle, and I follow the creed of the Circle." He looked back at Dumbledore, who was watching the two of them argue with an amused smile. "And that brings me back to my original point, Professor. I am certain that sooner or later the Council will show up, demanding to know what I'm doing. I need your permission to make certain…" he hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Certain precautions," he finished finally. "I know what the Council will do, in a general way, and if I set up wards and protective circles beforehand, I can be certain that the castle will actually still be standing by the end of it."  
  
"When do you think they will arrive?" Dumbledore inquired. Thor shrugged. "It could be any time from now until the time I return," he observed. "I don't even know if they will come, not for certain; some members of the Council feel it's best if they just leave my to break the rules and then deal with me afterwards, but others will want to come and chastise me instantly." He allowed himself a smile. "I imagine that the debate will last long enough for me to set up enough protection for Hogwarts to survive a full-scale Mage fight."  
  
"And where does Draco fit into all of this?" Snape demanded silkily. Thor refused to look at the man; he kept his gaze firmly on a wall, and smiled pleasantly. "I hope he won't," he admitted. "He wasn't involved in the spell I performed, even if he was the reason for it, so the Council should be primarily concerned with me."  
  
"Ah yes," Dumbledore mused. "Last night's spell. Some kind of Summoning, was it not?"  
  
Thor nodded. "A Dragon Summoning," he explained. "There are ways to summon dragons, but most of them hurt like hell, which is why I was knocked unconscious." He rubbed his scar, which was beginning to throb a little – an unfortunate side-effect, he had discovered long ago, of headaches. "Is there anything else you want to know, Professor? Only I have to get back to Draco, apprentices have a nasty habit of trying to spontaneously self- combust when they're reading about Chimaera Moons, and he's about there now, I should think."  
  
"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "You will keep us informed of any significant information?" Thor raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Possibly," he said dryly. "It depends on the information; I can't go giving out my secrets, now can I?"  
  
He rose; to his surprise, Snape rose with him. "You've changed," the other man said abruptly. "And I can't quite work out how." Thor half-shrugged. "I've grown up," he said honestly. "I am no longer a pawn with which people hope to defeat Voldemort…although I have accepted that none but I *can* deal with him. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He walked away quickly, and left Dumbledore's office. He really and truly detested that man, he thought whimsically. Even after ten years, he really and truly loathed Snape.  
  
He reached the door of Draco's room, and opened it. Draco was still reading, but his hair was beginning to smoke.  
  
"Draco, please don't set yourself on fire," Thor said, in as disapproving a voice as he could manage. Draco glanced up, surprised, and stopped smoking. "Thank you." Thor glanced at the window; the sun was beginning to sink in the sky, and he was mildly surprised to find that time had flown so swiftly. "You can stop reading now, Draco, you must be exhausted."  
  
"No, it's fascinating," Draco murmured, stifling a yawn and closing the book. "Only a little confusing." Thor removed all his various weapons, pulled off his boots, and dropped onto the bed. "Well, it will be," he agreed. "You've completed your training as a wizard, now you need to unlearn all of that. What exactly is confusing?"  
  
"Well, it says that Mages don't need to use words or wands to do magic," Draco said, leaning backwards in his chair. "But I've seen you say words; last night, for example. And then in another place it says that Mages DO need to use wands and incantations. But you don't speak or use a wand for everything. It's bloody confusing, and it's pissing me off."  
  
Thor opened his eyes and looked carefully at Draco. "You're exhausted," he pronounced finally. "There's no point me telling you the answers to your question until you've had a proper night's sleep."  
  
"I want to know," Draco said quietly. Thor sighed. "Fine," he said shortly. "Whether Mages use a wand or not depends on what type of magic they're performing; most Mages need incantations for Dragon Magic, for example. I don't for most areas of Dragon Magic, but I do for other types of magic; I can't do a single spell with Griffin Magic without an incantation, and no Mage can use a wand or words for Beast Magic, simply because beasts don't either. It depends on the Mage and the type of Magic, and I'll be heartily surprised if you remember any of this in the morning. Go to bed, Draco." He rolled off the bed, moved over to Draco, and propelled him towards the bed. Draco didn't protest when Thor undressed him efficiently or moved him into the bed. In fact, he was asleep so quickly that Thor was certain he hadn't been sleeping properly at all; learning about the Moons from a book simply did not do this to a person.  
  
With a small sigh, Thor pulled his uniform off. His wand was placed under his pillow, and then he slid into the cool sheets. He was careful not to touch Draco – he knew he wouldn't be able to pull away if he did – but all through the night in his sleep he could sense Draco next to him through the rapidly-strengthening student-teacher bond that had formed between them on Draco's naming. At some point during the night Draco turned so he was facing Thor, and their bodies were almost touching. Thor did not wake, and neither did Draco. In fact, nothing disturbed them until just after dawn, when several shadows fell across the bed.  
  
Thor was awake and alert instantly, his wand in his hand. Then he saw who it was and relaxed somewhat. Draco opened his eyes, then sat up, swearing under his breath.  
  
"Draco," Thor said, a little groggily, "this is Zodiac, my old teacher, and Seraph and Coyote. They're all members of the Council of Mages. Zodiac, Seraph, Coyote, this is my new apprentice, Draco Malfoy. I was hoping you'd give me at least another few hours to set up wards." He yawned. Somehow, he realised with some part of his brain, Draco had managed to press himself up against his back.  
  
"This is why you did the spell?" Zodiac inquired curiously. "We thought is was because of that Voldemort you keep going on about." Thor's jaw tightened, and he radiated intensity. "It's none of the Council's business, Zodiac," he said dangerously. "It's my business, and my responsibility. You know that." His face cleared suddenly. 'I assume they're doing a trial by one of the tests?"  
  
"Trial by earth," Coyote said curtly. "Since you've chopped at least a dozen laws into pieces in the two days you've been here. Memosyn and Tryx are setting up wards outside now. Get dressed. You have ten minutes." The three turned as one and left the room. Thor dropped back down onto the bed with a groan. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Shouldn't you be getting dressed?" he inquired. "What's trial by earth, Thor?" Thor pulled himself up onto his feet and began dressing. "There are four types of trials, for when mages break laws or requirements. Most of the laws, by the way, are completely ludicrous, but since I'm not on the Council I can't do a damn thing about it. Trial by fire is for breaking any laws concerning the security of the Mages and sharing of our abilities." He tugged on one leather boot, then the other. "Trial by air is for any of the laws concerning harming innocents, doing more damage than necessary, things like that." He started sheathing all his various weapons. "Trial by water is if you break any laws about misuse of powers, and trial by earth, what I'm about to do, is if you break any of the laws about performing spells." He ran a hand through his hair, decided there was no way it would ever lie flat, and looked back at Draco. "As I said, it's all bloody stupid, but the laws have been in place since the beginning of the Circle of Mages – they made a lot more sense back then – and so we have to obey them."  
  
"Do the trials actually have anything to do with their names?" Draco inquired, pulling his clothes on. Thor laughed. "Not a thing," he said cheerfully. "Well, maybe a bit. Trial by earth basically means I have to do a complete duel with someone on the Council. They'll probably make me fight Zodiac, since he knows me best – he was my teacher." Draco's eyes glinted strangely for a moment, then he nodded.  
  
"So how do you pass this…trial?" he asked. Thor slid his wand into his belt. "By beating my opponent," he replied. "And, hopefully, not losing my temper at the old bats." Draco grinned at the term, and Thor stretched. "Right," he said. 'Come on, you'd better come and watch this; you need to know what happens." Draco nodded, and followed Thor from his room. There was hardly anyone about in the halls…for which Thor was profoundly grateful. Trials could be at times extremely humiliating, and he hoped that this wouldn't be one of those times.  
  
"You look worried," Draco observed as they reached the entrance hall. Thor half-smiled, and nodded. "I have done all the trials before," he admitted. "You remember me and rules?" Draco nodded fervently. "But before, I was in the Circle and I didn't have to think about the repercussions of my magic…and I knew who I would be fighting, because they gave me warning. Now, I don't know who…" He broke off, and forced a light smile onto his face. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Just make sure that you are," Draco grumbled. Thor couldn't miss the opportunity to tease his student. "Why, Draco," he said in mock-surprise. 'Was that concern for me?" Draco frowned, but Thor caught an exposed look in his eyes before Draco's cool exterior came up again.  
  
"I don't like my teachers dying on me," Draco told him calmly. "I don't like anyone dying on me." Thor gazed at him levelly for a moment, then nodded, and held the door open for Draco, who stepped through it. When Thor followed him, he balked.  
  
"Bloody hell," he muttered, just loud enough for Draco to hear. "The whole Council is here." He gazed, completely disarmed, at the thirteen silent Mages who stood waiting for him in a semi-circle. "Draco, whatever you do, don't move off this step," Thor warned his student. "This is definitely not going to be nice." He walked down the steps slowly, a dangerous look in his eyes that was belied by the laziness of his actions.  
  
"Hello," he said calmly, when he was standing in front of the Council. "What a nice surprise." His eyes flicked from one member of the Council to another, carefully gauging who might be on his side and who wasn't. He grimaced inwardly. Most seemed furious with him – including, Thor realised, Zodiac. "Well, let's get on with it," he said briskly. "What's the charge this time?"  
  
"Use of a summoning spell without permission, performing said spell alone, and involving the dragons in your personal business," said one of the Mages curtly. "Trial by earth will commence against Coyote."  
  
Thor met Coyote's eyes curiously. "I might point out," he remarked, not looking away from his opponent, "that it is common knowledge that I don't need a triumvirate to do a summoning spell, and it wasn't entirely a personal reason; I was asking them to acknowledge my new apprentice." He jerked his head back to where Draco was standing watching the proceedings with interest. "But, if you insist I take the trial…"  
  
"We do," Coyote snapped. "Get on with it, Thor; the wards have been set up in the usual pattern." The Council of Mages, apart from Coyote, moved backwards, out of the protective wards that would keep the battling Mages from harming anyone else. Coyote and Thor bowed to each other, then began silently circling each other, watching for any weakness in the other's defences.  
  
Thor wasn't worried. He had fought and beaten Coyote before, even if it had been in the Circle, where the magic was more potent than here. He knew the Mage's fighting style, whereas Coyote did not really know Thor's style, and he had the distinct advantage that he wasn't angry at the other Mage – anger, the Mages were taught, clouded judgement in fights, and should be avoided at all costs. Coyote, unfortunately, was always furious at Thor, just because Thor lived.  
  
Coyote made the first move, flinging a freezing spell at Thor. Thor ducked it, not bothering to try and reflect it back – it was novice-level magic, after all – and increased his shields. Coyote, he remembered, always tried to weaken his opponent with spells first, then go into hand to hand combat. It was a technique that never failed to annoy Thor, who much preferred mixing his skills. He reflected a barrage of Beast spells, then cast a Unicorn spell, flinging it at Coyote as he rolled away to dodge another spell. Coyote hadn't learnt Unicorn Magic, he knew, so he used it to his advantage; his spell hit Coyote in the stomach, and the Mage doubled over in pain.  
  
Now Thor pulled out his daggers, twirling them elegantly around his fingers, letting Coyote get a good look at him, to realise what he was about to do. Coyote, to his credit, pulled out his own two daggers, and moved easily into a fighting stance, which Thor mirrored.  
  
Then Thor flung himself at Coyote, moving so quickly and fluidly that it was almost impossible to see what he was doing. The daggers locked together; Thor used the position to flick the weapons from Coyote's hands, sending his to join them where they stuck into the earth. Coyote aimed a punch at Thor's stomach, but Thor danced around Coyote and swung his foot into the Mage's stomach, making him double up again. He muttered a spell to pin Coyote to the ground. After a moment, Coyote leapt to his feet again, and managed to get in a hard blow to Thor's head that sent Thor stumbling back a few paces, almost tripping over the daggers in the earth. Thor decided to make a strategic move, and, bending his knees slightly, jumped into the air.  
  
Sitting on the steps to the castle, Draco anxiously watched Thor as he and Coyote exchanged a flurry of spells and blows. He was sure Thor could take care of himself, and he wouldn't admit to anyone else that he was worried about the man, but still, he couldn't help biting his lip in concern as Thor ducked another spell.  
  
"Don't worry about him," came an amused voice from next to him. Draco glanced up; the man Thor had named as Zodiac was standing next to him. "Thor's the best War Mage in the entire circle."  
  
"I'm not worried," Draco said defensively, looking back at the battle. He could feel Zodiac watching him amusedly. "I'm not," he said hotly.  
  
"Of course not," Zodiac agreed, a little sarcastic. "No apprentice ever is for their teacher when their teacher is involved in a trial. Or not, as the case may be." He relented, and jerked his head at his former apprentice. "Thor doesn't realise it, I've never been put through a trial, but my teacher was several times, and then Thor's been put through all the trials at least a dozen times, idiotic boy that he is."  
  
The corner of Draco's mouth curled. "You call him an 'idiotic boy'?" he inquired. "Of course," Zodiac agreed. "that's what he is…ooh." He suddenly got a dismayed look on his face. "I probably shouldn't be saying that to you. Sorry, it's just I'm not used to Thor…"  
  
"I understand," Draco said quickly. "Or at least, I think I do. He was your apprentice, wasn't he?" Zodiac nodded. "Well, knowing him, I don't envy you." Zodiac chuckled. "Well, considering how he always was at Hogwarts…"  
  
"Oh, that's right," Zodiac murmured, his eyes sharpening and fixing on Draco's. "You were in the same year as him when he was learning here, weren't you?" Draco silently nodded. "Now I remember…he talked about you a lot, you know."  
  
"Oh?" Draco inquired innocently. Zodiac rolled his eyes, and looked back at the fight. Thor's right arm was now hanging limply at his side; Coyote had been forced back down onto the ground.  
  
"Strange," Zodiac murmured. "Thor usually ends fights before this, especially in trials and with Coyote." He sat down next to Draco and leant forward slightly. "Hmph. That spell must have been hard, he's not as good as he usually is."  
  
"This is not as good as usual?" Draco asked faintly, watching as Thor's movements became too fast to see clearly. Zodiac nodded distractedly. "And he said he was fine from the spell," Draco muttered.  
  
"Maybe he wasn't telling you everything," Zodiac frowned. "It was a summoning, wasn't it?" Draco nodded. "I wonder…do you know if anything odd happened?"  
  
"Well, he was talking to the dragon for a while," Draco said slowly. "And afterwards he said that he hadn't expected something to happen…I don't know what, sorry." Zodiac glanced at him, a brief smile on his face. "Don't be," he told the apprentice. "you've only just started learning, how could you know? Considering that it's Thor, I doubt I would have known, and I've been living with him for eleven years." He thought for a moment. "Well, the dragon aspect isn't so odd," he said slowly. "Thor has always talked to dragons more than he ought to – it's another thing that pisses Coyote off – but I wonder…"  
  
"Wonder what?" Draco demanded. Zodiac didn't reply, for at that moment Thor shot a spell at Coyote that bowled the other Mage over onto the ground. He lay there twitching, then stilled. Thor dropped back onto the ground, glanced Coyote over, then looked at the Council of Mages.  
  
"There," he said mildly, not even out of breath. "Have I passed again, or do you feel it necessary for me to return to the Circle?" One of the Council members, Seraph, came forward. "Don't be like that," she said lightly. 'You knew when you performed the spell that you'd have to undergo trial. Of course you don't have to come back with us. Now, are you going to introduce me to that handsome apprentice of yours?"  
  
Thor caught her tone of voice and the glint in her eyes – he had not been her friend for ten years for nothing. "No, Seraph," he said warningly. "Not while he's my apprentice you don't." Seraph met his eyes curiously, then raised one eyebrow. 'Not ever, if you have anything to say about it," she said softly. Thor blinked in surprise. She laughed gently at him. "You're so naïve sometimes, Thor," she said fondly. "It's quite funny, really." She walked past him towards Draco and Zodiac, and he stared dumbly after her for a full minute before sprinting to catch up.  
  
"What do you mean?" he demanded as they reached the steps. She glanced between him and Draco, then smirked at him. "Seraph, explain!"  
  
"You can't order her around," Zodiac pointed out mildly. "She's Council, you aren't." Thor glared at his former teacher. "If I'd wanted your opinion, Zodiac," he smiled pleasantly, "I'd have asked you for it." Zodiac guffawed, and Thor turned back to Seraph, who was still smirking and looking between him and his apprentice. "Seraph?"  
  
"Il est très beau, Thor," she said silkily. "N'est-ce pas?" (He is very handsome. Is it not so?)  
  
"Oui, je sais," Thor agreed unthinkingly. "Pourquoi tu l'as dit?" Then he realised what her point was, and he groaned as he realised that he had well and truly stepped in it. "Seraph, tu ne sais rien. Il est mon élève, et nous n'étions jemais amis." (Yes, I know. Why did you say that? Seraph, you know nothing. He is my student, and we were never friends.)  
  
"Merde," Seraph told him sharply. "Tu lui veux." (Shit. You want him.)  
  
"Oh, shut up," Thor complained, feeling uncomfortably exposed. "it's none of your business anyway."  
  
"Si tu veux," Seraph shrugged. "Mais je pense qu'il tu aime." Thor blinked at her, then looked sharply at Draco, who was watching them curiously. With a peculiar smile on his face, he asked, "Tu penses vraiment?" (If you like. But I think that he likes/loves you.) (You truly think so?)  
  
"Oui," she said firmly. (Yes.)  
  
"Oh, speak English, for crying out loud," Zodiac complained at last. "Now I remember why I didn't want to let you teach him French, Seraph," he muttered. Draco stifled a laugh. "Are you alright?" he demanded of Thor. Thor nodded reassuringly. "What about him – Coyote?"  
  
"Who cares," Thor muttered. He caught the look Zodiac and Seraph both gave him, and tried to look suitably apologetic. "He'll be fine, Draco. Don't worry about him." He winced as he gently rotated his right shoulder. "Damn."  
  
"Heal it yourself, you let the spell get by you," Zodiac said complacently. Thor closed his eyes for a moment, obviously trying not to explode. "Would you mind not trying to humiliate me in front of my apprentice?" he inquired mildly after a moment. "I would appreciate it. Thanks."  
  
Seraph glanced back at the other Mages, and tugged Zodiac to his feet. "We have to go," she said briskly. "Thor, try and come back soon? Draco, it was nice meeting you." She again looked at Thor. "Je comprend quoi tu es ici, Thor. Mais ne fait pas quelque dangereux, oui?" (I understand why you are here, Thor. But don't do anything dangerous, yes?)  
  
"Biensur, Seraph," Thor nodded gravely. "Et toi…je te vois a bientôt." Seraph nodded, and returned to the Council. (Of course, Seraph. And you…I will see you soon.)  
  
Zodiac looked seriously at Thor for a long moment. "Thor, I looked up that date – March the second, nineteen forty-three. I was right, it was a Basilisk Moon in the year of the Chimaera, and Thor…" He hesitated. "I found out that one of the Mages a while after that was sent in disgrace to the dwarves for several years because he taught someone Mage powers who had been born in that year. Tom Riddle, the name was." Thor paled. "I hope that helps."  
  
"It does," Thor answered grimly. "It really, really does." He looked at the horizon for a moment, then back at Zodiac. "You'd better go." Zodiac nodded, then pulled him into an embrace. "Take care of yourself," he muttered roughly. "And take care of that apprentice of yours, from looks of it he's had a bad lot in life so far."  
  
"I will," Thor promised. "Don't worry about us. I'll be back before you notice I'm gone." Zodiac gave him an odd look. "People have already noticed you've gone," he said, overly-patient. "There haven't been any explosions." He followed Seraph, and soon all thirteen Mages had moved from sight. Thor turned back to Draco, who had risen.  
  
"That," he said solemnly, "was a Trial by earth. I hope you learnt how entirely pointless the whole thing is." He grinned. "Come on, we're starting your training properly."  
  
"Now?" Draco complained. "It's before breakfast." Thor raised a sardonic eyebrow. "There won't be any breakfast if you aren't finished," he warned. Draco paled. "Five laps around the lake, if you please, Draco," Thor ordered. Draco set off slowly, clearly unwilling to go at a faster pace. "Running, not walking, Draco!" Thor yelled after him. Reluctantly Draco broke into a run. Thor watched him go with a smirk, then retrieved his daggers and removed the wards which the Council had so thoughtlessly left erect. He turned back towards the castle; Dumbledore, Snape and Hermione were standing there. Hermione's mouth was open in wonder. Thor raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Careful, you'll catch flies," he teased. "I take it you saw the fight, then." Hermione nodded dumbly. Thor frowned slightly. "it wasn't all that brilliant, 'Mione," he said cautiously. "I usually do better than that; the spell I did the other night took a bit out of me…"  
  
"You mean that's a bad day?" she croaked. He nodded silently. "Merlin's beard, Harry…"  
  
"I think we can safely say that you will have no problems defeating Voldemort," Dumbledore said calmly. Thor met his eyes gravely. "I'm afraid not," he said quietly. "According to one of my friends on the Council, Voldemort received some Mage training in the sixties. Since I don't know what magics he learnt, this is going to be infinitely harder than I thought, especially since Mages are forbidden to kill anyone trained with Mage powers. I can't go against that law, it's the most ancient –" he broke himself off. "Like I said," he completed softly. "This is going to be harder than I thought." He turned back towards the lake, where Draco was still running his first lap. "And I have other obligations and concerns now," he murmured, so quietly that no one heard him.  
  
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"Harry, for the dragons' sake get down here!"  
  
Thor peered down at his teacher from the ceiling. "But it's so fun," he exclaimed. "If I'd known it was going to be this fun, I would have learnt Griffin Magic years ago!"  
  
Zodiac took a deep breath, trying to be patient with his trying apprentice. "Thor, please. The Council wants you." Thor dropped to the ground with a thump. "Thank you."  
  
"What do they want?" Thor demanded suspiciously, as Zodiac ushered him through the Circle buildings. "They don't want me to call the Dragons again, do they, because I won't do it, not even for them, the Dragons are starting to get annoyed with me, and I hate it when the Dragons are annoyed with me."  
  
"Sometimes, Thor," Zodiac remarked easily, "you're still so much a child." He pushed open a door and ushered Thor through. The young Mage halted as he was faced with a huge, silvery dragon.  
  
"Oh," he breathed. 'Ygrivaine-Morpugra. I haven't seen you in so long.' He remembered the Dragon courtesy he was supposed to show, and bowed to the dragon.  
  
'No, my little one,' the dragon reproved. 'You should not bow, not to me. I have come to give you your destiny, little dragon. Will you face it?' Thor lifted his chin defiantly. 'I face all challenges,' he reminded the dragon. 'This is no different.'  
  
The dragon regarded him gravely. 'It is different, my dragon babe,' she said sadly. 'It is so, so different…I would not speak this prophecy if I had any alternative.' She sat back on her rear legs. 'As it is…Dragon Child, born of Dragons and for Dragons, shall rule with Unicorn born by his side. He shall be the greatest of all, and all shall be peace.' She sank back down onto all fours sorrowfully as Thor digested the strange words. 'I am sorry, my dragonling," she crooned. 'I must leave now.' Her scaled nose nuzzled his cheek for a moment; he leant into the strange caress, and then she drew back, and with a flash of light she was gone. Thor felt a touch on his arm.  
  
"What did she say?" Zodiac inquired. Thor looked in surprise at his teacher. 'You couldn't hear her?" he demanded. Zodiac shook his head. Thor felt the insane urge to laugh. "I'll write the prophecy down," he forced himself to speak calmly. "I just…I just think I need a glass of water first."  
  
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To be continued. 


	4. Confessions and Dragonlets

Author's Notes: I'm in awe. You all seem to like this. Thanks, everyone who has reviewed – it's made me feel a whole lot better, since I have exams this week and next! Therefore (there is a point to the rambling) updates may not be as frequent until the exams are over. Sorry!  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer. JK Rowling rules over all. Except anything that I created, which belongs exclusively to my brain, although my friend Roz ought to take some credit.  
  
**************************************************************************** *******  
  
"Thor, what is it?" Draco demanded sleepily from the bed. Thor turned from the window to glance at his apprentice. Draco blinked at the smile of twisted agony on the Mage's face. "The Dragons are singing," Thor replied equally quietly. "Come and watch, Draco." He looked back out at the full moon, and a moment later he was joined by Draco.  
  
"I can't hear them," Draco admitted after a moment. Thor reached for Draco's hand; a moment later a myriad of notes filled Draco's ears, and he could see the dragons flying high over the school near the moon. "Woah."  
  
"Hmm," Thor agreed absently. "They're singing an ancient Dragon song about prophecies," he told Draco after a moment. "It's very long, and very complicated, but incredibly beautiful." He sighed. "I hate it."  
  
"Why?" Draco inquired, startled. Thor raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh right, because of that prophecy about you…"  
  
"Yes," Thor agreed. "I hate prophecies, and this song…it has a lot about my particular prophecy. And they," he jerked his head at the dragons, "know it. Of course they don't follow anyone, so I can't even ask them to stop."  
  
"But if the prophecy is true," Draco ventured, "then aren't you meant to rule them?" Thor's bitter smile disappeared. "According to some," he agreed. "There have been many interpretations." He turned to look properly at his apprentice. "Now is not the time for a philosophical discussion," he said firmly.  
  
A smile played about Draco's lips. "Then how about another kind of discussion?" he suggested. "You don't look as though you're going to be able to sleep." Thor bent his head slightly in acknowledgement, smiling faintly, then turned away to close the window. "Why don't you tell me why you hate the Council so much?"  
  
Thor's head whipped around, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'I do not hate the Council," he claimed. "You shouldn't say things like that, Draco." He sighed, and moved to sit down in the single comfortable chair in the room. "But I do disagree with the way they go about things."  
  
"Like what?" Draco asked curiously. Thor waved a hand vaguely. "The rules, and the Trials, and the strict way everything must be," he admitted. He met Draco's eyes seriously for a long moment. "Like the student- teacher bond," he continued softly. "It is sacred, the Council and I both agree upon that, but the Council…" He sighed. "The Council disapproves of romantic attachments when you're still learning magics," he admitted. "The bond between teacher and student is supposed to be non-romantic to make it easier on both when they move on."  
  
"Did…do you love Zodiac?" Draco asked hesitantly. Thor was silent for a moment, considering. "No," he replied finally. "Not in the way you mean, not romantically. Zodiac was like…he was my teacher, and we had a close bond. Now he's like a very irritating older brother." Draco nodded, a faint smile on his face.  
  
"It's not important," Thor said after a silent minute. "It's just my opinion. It's not like I'll ever get onto the Council, so I can't do anything about it." Draco studied him. "But today," he observed. "The Trial…you're friends with people on the Council, aren't you?"  
  
"Only Seraph and Zodiac," Thor admitted. "The others either hate me or ignore me, mostly." He stretched. "Zodiac pretty much agrees with the Council, and Seraph," he chuckled, "is considered almost as odd as I am, only for her it's because she's the only Veela Mage in decades."  
  
"So there are non-humans in the Circle?" Draco inquired. "I couldn't find anything about it in the book…"  
  
"It's not really discussed," Thor observed. "It's just normal for us. Humans are the ones who find it easiest to become Mages, but there are several dwarves, and a couple of Half-Elves. None of the other creatures have ever been able to manage even the simplest Mage spells."  
  
There was a long silence, where Thor lost himself in his thoughts and Draco thoughtfully stared at the floor, suddenly sombre. Then he yawned, and Thor grinned at him.  
  
"You go to bed," he ordered. "You're up at dawn again tomorrow, remember? Same as today." Draco nodded, but didn't move. Thor frowned and leant forward. "Draco, what is it?"  
  
"I was just thinking," Draco said quietly. "Tomorrow…tomorrow is five years since my father died." He looked back up at Thor and shrugged. "Sorry, I just remembered it. He died at dawn."  
  
"How?" Thor inquired quietly. Draco shrugged again, unable to speak. "Come here, Draco," Thor suggested. Draco moved from his chair and sat down against the chair, leaning his head on Thor's leg. "Now. Tell me?"  
  
"I…I didn't mean to do it," Draco admitted. "I…there was no choice. Ron was there too, only he was fighting Hermione…I would have, only he…my father just came out of nowhere." Thor's eyes widened as he realised what Draco was trying to say, but he kept quiet. Draco needed to tell him this himself. "We duelled," Draco continued, almost whispering now. "And I…I killed him."  
  
Thor was silent for a long moment, his hand resting lightly on Draco's bowed head.  
  
"Two years ago," he finally started, quiet and subdued as Draco had been, "there was a Mage…Virgo. She had been Named at the same time as I, only she stopped learning before I did…She fell in with a bad crowd. Very bad. The worst. A group of renegade Mages who called themselves the Chimaeras…The entire Circle convened. Virgo was good, and we wouldn't stand for them taking her away too…the Council decided that a group of us should go after the Chimaeras, destroy them once and for al, or return them to the Circle for what they call 'reconditioning' – which is a horrible, barbaric, inhumane process. Zodiac and I were chosen to be part of the group, despite Zodiac objecting that there was no way I could possibly be unprejudiced when it came to the Chimaeras. They ignored him, and three days later, after we had finally chased down the renegades, I was forced to kill my best friend."  
  
"I guess we're really a pair, huh?" Draco said sardonically after a moment. Thor smiled wistfully. "We really, really are," he agreed.  
  
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Breakfast with Thor, Draco quickly discovered, was very, very amusing. Thor sat himself at the centre of the table, with Draco next to him, and proceeded to engage in a very lively debate with Charlie Weasley about the behavioural habits of dragons. When Snape turned up, about ten minutes after everyone else and looking as though he'd been trampled over by a hippogriff, Thor kindly poured him some coffee before turning back to Charlie. However, whenever Snape reached for the coffee mug, it moved out of reach, returning to its original position whenever Snape stopped trying to grab hold of it. It wasn't long before the entire Hall had realised what Thor was doing. Thor continued to ignore everyone except Charlie Weasley, until finally Draco nudged him.  
  
Thor looked at Draco with a surprised expression on his face that was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. "Yes, Draco, is something wrong?" Draco merely jerked his head across the table at Snape. Thor looked across at Snape, now looking puzzled. "Is there something wrong, Severus?"  
  
"What are you doing to my coffee?" Snape demanded, seething. Thor frowned slightly. "Why, nothing," he replied mildly. "Can't you drink it? It'll get cold soon." And he returned to his conversation with Charlie. The mug moved out of Snape's reach yet again.  
  
Finally Thor finished his own coffee and rose. 'Come on, Draco," he smiled. "Outside." Draco dropped his toast and followed Thor quietly; when they were out of the Great Hall he burst into laughter. Thor joined him, and it was minutes before they became sombre and left the castle.  
  
"I haven't laughed so much in ages," Draco admitted, still grinning. "You shouldn't have done that to Snape, Thor." Thor shrugged. "Probably not," he agreed. "But it was fun." He gazed across the grounds for a moment. "A run around the lake first, I think," he decided. "And I'll come this time." He raised an eyebrow as Draco smothered a grimace. "Or perhaps you'd prefer a jaunt through the Forbidden Forest?" he inquired.  
  
"No, no," Draco said quickly. "A run around the lake is fine. Let's go." He set off at a steady pace, and after watching him for a moment Thor caught up, and passed, his apprentice.  
  
Three hours, and numerous runs, jogs, and other physical exercises later, Thor and Draco dropped to the ground next to the lake to cool off.  
  
"You said you do this every day?" Draco panted. Thor shrugged. "As often as I can," he agreed. "Mages have to keep in shape. But I don't usually do as much as this; after a while your body will be so in shape you don't need to do three-hour runs."  
  
"Good," Draco said fervently. "I don't think I could do this every day for the rest of my life."  
  
"And Mages have a longer life expectancy even than wizards," Thor agreed mildly. "But you have to keep in shape, Draco." Draco rolled his eyes, but his attention was caught by Thor's first remark. "How long do Mages live?" he inquired.  
  
"Several centuries; the oldest Mage at the moment is four hundred and seventy-two. In comparison, we are mere children." Thor stretched. "It really, really doesn't do to dwell on it," he advised Draco. "Someday you'll be old and cranky and telling off the little apprentices for making too much noise." Draco guffawed, and Thor looked out across the lake as something caught his attention.  
  
"Thor," Draco said suddenly after a moment, following Thor's gaze. "Isn't that…"  
  
"Yes," Thor said softly. 'I wonder what they're doing here." He squinted, trying to make out the details of the things he had seen.  
  
"Thor," Draco said curiously after a moment. "What on earth happening to your glasses?" Thor looked back at Draco, distracted for a moment. "Oh, they got broken when Zodiac sat on them," he said vaguely. "So the healers corrected my vision. Much simpler than having to take care of glasses – besides, they were bloody ugly."  
  
"And we thought you hadn't realised," Draco quipped dryly. He looked back across the lake. "Thor – that looks like –"  
  
"A dragonlet," Thor realised with a sinking heart. "By the Dragons, how on earth do they think I'm going to have time to babysit?"  
  
"You mean dragon-sit," Draco corrected helpfully. But Thor was already on his feet, storming around the edge of the lake. With a weary sigh, Draco rose and started trailing his teacher. When he finally reached the other side of the lake and the three dragons there, Thor looked mightily pissed off.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked curiously, glancing between the two adult dragons, Thor, and the small dragonlet who was clamouring for Thor's attention at the Mage's feet. "Thor?"  
  
"Hold on, Draco," Thor told him. He looked back at the elder dragon pleadingly. 'Please, Mytrin-wythindril. I have my apprentice, and I have other business here – the prophecy.'  
  
But the dragon was resolute. 'You agreed to this,' he told the Mage firmly. 'Accept it, little dragon, and do us this favour.' Thor glared, but nodded finally. 'Thank you, Dragon Child.'  
  
'Midnight, you said?' Thor checked again. The second, slightly smaller dragon nodded her head. 'Alright. He'll be fine.' The dragons nuzzled his cheeks, and then took off into the skies. Thor looked down at the dragonlet, then up at Draco.  
  
"Sorry," he apologised. "I really can't help it – they always manage to persuade me into it, somehow." The dragonlet's claws caught on his boots, and with a grimace he detached the tiny, scaly bundle. "Draco, this is Lythruwrl-mytptril, but call him Lyth for short." He hoisted the dragon into his arms, carrying him much in the same way a mother would her child. "Lyth, this is my apprentice Draco." He looked back at Draco. "He can't speak dragon-tongue yet," he explained, "so there's really no point my talking to him properly." The dragon gave a hiccoughing sort of noise; Thor lifted its chin so it could breathe easier.  
  
"Well," Draco remarked, trying to keep a straight face at the sight of War Mage Thor, the most renowned fighter in the Circle of Mages, clasping a tiny dragon, whose eyes were barely open and whose wings were still thin and weak. "Perhaps we should call training off for the day." The glare Thor sent him told him that Thor knew exactly what he was thinking, and did not approve at all.  
  
Lunch with the dragonlet proved to be equally, if not more hilarious than breakfast. When Thor, Draco and Lyth entered the Great Hall there was instant uproar at the sight of the baby dragon attempting to clamber onto Thor's head using his hair as a rope; Hermione shrieked, Sirius roared with laughter, Snape almost fainted from shock, Charlie Weasley went ecstatically happy, and Dumbledore raised his eyebrows curiously as Thor took a seat opposite him.  
  
"Thor," he started carefully, "if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is that dragon trying to do?"  
  
"Dragonlet," Thor corrected grumpily. "Baby dragons are called dragonlets. And I was persuaded to babysit." He shot a glare at Draco, who was suppressing a smirk. "Although some people," he said loudly, disentangling the dragonlet from his hair, "seem to find the situation incredibly amusing." Draco sombred and concentrated on eating his mashed potatoes. Thor set Lyth down on the table between himself and Dumbledore. "You," he said sternly to little dragon, "behave. Or you won't get any mice for supper."  
  
"Dragonlets eat mice?" Charlie jumped in from one side. "No wonder we never had much luck breeding them…"  
  
"Well, Lyth is weaned," Thor explained. "They drink their mothers' milk before then, and afterwards they eat raw meat, like their parents, only smaller stuff, like mice, rabbits, weasels…mice are a particular treat for most young dragons, one which you, Lyth," he directed his comment at Lyth, who was attempting to breath fire at his food, "are almost certainly not going to have." As if he understood, Lyth turned his back on Thor and sulked.  
  
"Incredible," Charlie breathed.  
  
"Irritating," Thor muttered.  
  
"Hilarious," Draco said airily. "D'you want some more mashed potatoes, Thor, yours are all burnt?" Thor sent his apprentice a glare that had made dragons back down, and then nodded thankfully, relenting.  
  
Lyth managed to make a nuisance of himself throughout the meal, and eventually even Charlie was grateful when Thor, exasperated, picked up the dragonlet by the tail and took him outside, followed by Draco.  
  
"What are we doing now?" Draco wanted to know, as Thor deposited Lyth on the stone steps. Thor looked thoughtful and a little grim. "I think someone's trying to break through my barrier," he replied slowly. "So we'll go and have a look at that, and I'll teach you how to erect them. Barriers are some of the most useful things you can know how to do, especially in battles; always remember that whilst you can never win a battle using defence, you will definitely, at some point or other, need to protect others whilst you are engaged elsewhere." Draco nodded fervently, obviously remembering something or other from his past. Thor chose to ignore it for the moment, and, picking up Lyth from where he had been attempting to roast a stone gargoyle, they started walking in the direction of Hogsmeade.  
  
"Who do you think is trying to break through?" Draco demanded after a few moments. "George told me what you told him – no-one should be able to get through your barrier in either direction."  
  
"Mages can," Thor pointed out. "I didn't think to protect us from them. I should have after yesterday, it was stupid of me after finding out that Voldemort had had Mage training…he's probably told someone some way of getting through it that only Mages should know."  
  
"He has a lot to answer for," Draco said coolly after a while. Thor glanced at him, then nodded grimly. "That he does," he agreed. There was silence for a moment, broken only by Thor's exasperated mutterings as he again extracted Lyth from his hair. Then: "Is your scar still a connection to him?"  
  
One of Thor's hands automatically went up to trace his tell-tale scar. "I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "The Circle is a place that is devoid of outside influence; there, I never felt a twinge from it, except it always hurts when I get headaches." He shrugged, effectively forcing Lyth to keep a tighter hold and stop messing around with his hair. "It probably does. I mean," he grinned, "it always used to be."  
  
"Ah yes," Draco sighed. "I have fond memories of you collapsing in Potions lessons from the pain…" He trailed off. "Of course, the fond memories are countered by those of Snape in agony from his Dark Mark, so it's not all good."  
  
"No," Thor agreed musingly. "Well, I have equally pleasant memories of beating you at Quidditch, so it all evens out in the end." They had arrived at the barrier. Thor wrenched Lyth from his head yet again, and dropped him onto the ground, quickly placing a barrier around him so that he could not escape. Then he began inspecting his barrier.  
  
"Can you tell what's wrong with it?" Draco ventured after a moment. Thor turned his attention back to Draco with a forced smile that Draco saw through instantly. "I will be able to," the Mage told him. "Now, let's start you off with barriers. Watch how I do it, but watch from a magical point of view, not just a physical one, alright? Like I showed you last night with the Moons."  
  
Draco nodded, and carefully watched as Thor erected another silvery barrier, this one around the two of them. Then he took it down again, and looked expectantly at Draco, even as half of his concentration was probing along his barrier, trying to feel who was attempting to break through into Hogwarts.  
  
Draco managed a weak barrier; his was a shimmering emerald green. Then it collapsed, and Draco narrowed his eyes in anger.  
  
"That's good," Thor remarked mildly. "I didn't even manage that on my first try. Feel up to another go?"  
  
"Of course I do," Draco snapped. "Here!" he flung his arms up, and another emerald barrier was flung up around them. Thor's eyes sharpened, but when he spoke, he chose his words carefully, and spoke slowly.  
  
"Draco," he started, "Mages never, ever act in anger. It helps nothing, and will eventually poison your magic if you continue to use your power whilst angry. I'm sorry if I upset you; I meant only to express my concern." He turned away, back to his own barrier, and began physically probing it. Draco came up behind him, anxiously placing a hand on Thor's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm not…I'm not really angry, it's just…I've always been able to do things instantly before." Thor turned to look at his apprentice. "Then that," he said gravely, "is the most important thing you must unlearn."  
  
"How touching," came a sneering voice from the other side of the barrier. Thor flashed a reassuring smile at Draco before turning to gaze at Ron through the barrier. Ron was standing, arms crossed over his chest, just across the barrier. "The Mage and his apprentice."  
  
"Ron," Thor greeted dangerously, "you ought to treat Mages with the proper respect they deserve."  
  
"Oh, I do," Ron smiled maliciously. "Only not all Mages." He looked over his shoulder; a jolt of pain hit Thor's scar, and he gripped Draco's shoulder hard to keep from collapsing to the ground. Through his agony, he saw Ron's smile broaden. Then he put up a mental barrier around the pain, as he had long ago been taught, and his vision cleared. He straightened as Ron stepped aside with a reverent bow. Beside him, Draco muttered a curse under his breath. Thor spared him a nod.  
  
"Don't worry, Draco," he muttered. "I've strengthened the barrier, he can't get through."  
  
The figure – for he could not be called a man – came to a halt mere inches away from the barrier. Lyth let out a keening wail, and with a burst of magic he broke through his mini barrier and stumblingly ran towards Thor, who lifted him back up onto his shoulders without objection.  
  
"Good afternoon," greeted the figure in a voice that would have been more suited to hissing, so rasping was it. "How…nice to see you again, Harry Potter."  
  
Thor forced himself to smile pleasantly. "Hello, Voldemort," he replied mildly. "So it's you that's been trying to break through my barrier."  
  
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To be continued. 


	5. Feelings

Author's Notes: This update has been a little slow, for the sole reason that I was struck with writer's block halfway between finishing chapter four and writing this chapter. However, the chapter is finally finished, slightly shorter than usual due to the fact it's past midnight here in England! Thank you to everybody who had commented; Lady Ron, I haven't read Wheel of Time, so if it's similar, I don't know how!  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer; as usual, practically nothing is mine.  
  
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There was a long silence as Voldemort and Thor gazed at each other measuringly. Draco still stood just behind Thor, and Ron now stood in an opposite position behind Voldemort. Lyth, the little dragonlet, cowered behind Thor's head, his front claws gripping Thor's hair to the point of being painful.  
  
"Well," Thor said at last, still smiling, although the smile had grown a little dangerous. "I thought it might be you, Tom Riddle." Voldemort's eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"Do not use that name," he snapped. "I am Lord Voldemort."  
  
Draco looked quickly at Thor, expecting him to retaliate. Thor merely raised his eyebrows quizzically. "I will assume," the Mage started, "that you were Named that?"  
  
"Ah, so you found out about that," Voldemort observed, his red eyes glinting in a kind of insane pleasure. "Yes, indeed." Thor nodded slowly, then turned to Draco, pulling Lyth off his head as he did so. He deposited the dragonlet in Draco's arms.  
  
"Draco, could you please go up to the school and fetch Professors Dumbledore and Snape, as well as Sirius, Hermione and the Weasleys," he said in a low voice. Draco looked between his teacher and his father's old master, and nodded silently before turning and leaving at a run. Thor looked back at Voldemort, still watching him carefully. "You've violated a lot of Circle laws, you know," he said suddenly. "Not least of which being the fact that you're a Basilisk-born, in a Chimaera Year, and you are a Mage."  
  
"And you," Voldemort sneered. "I presume you have finally found out why I have always tried to desperately to kill you?" Thor nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "But if I had been you, I wouldn't have bothered. Just because someone is born under a Moon doesn't mean they will become a Mage."  
  
"The fact that you survived Avada Kedavra was enough proof," Voldemort hissed. "Even if no-one else realised it."  
  
"The Circle of Mages is not a public thing!" Thor snapped. "You started its destruction, Riddle, and you will pay for the damage you caused – to the Circle, to me, and to everyone else!" Voldemort stared at him for a moment, then a smile curled his thin lips. "Tut, tut, Harry," he said softly. "Anger poisons power, remember?"  
  
Thor looked taken aback for a moment, then his lips twisted in a faint mockery of a smile. "Indeed," he agreed. "But it's a little hypocritical of you to be saying so, don't you think?"  
  
"Perhaps," Voldemort inclined his head slightly. "Perhaps not. Emotions are an aid to Mages, remember? You appear to have suppressed yours completely." Thor did not flinch, although Voldemort's words had hit home. After Virgo's death two years before, he *had* tried to suppress his feelings as much as possible…  
  
"Well," Voldemort said after a long moment. "Are you intending to challenge me to a duel, little Mage? Or will you merely allow your muggle- loving wizards to take a shot at me?" He nodded over Thor's shoulder, and Thor looked to see Draco leading Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Hermione and all the Weasleys down to the barrier. Thor turned back to Voldemort, his eyes flicking to Ron, who was a little pale at the sight of his family.  
  
"No, not today," he smiled. "I'm not ready to duel you, Voldemort."  
  
"And why is that, Harry?"  
  
"My name is Thor," Thor snapped. "Please use it, as I have the courtesy to use your Mage name, when you should not even have one." He took a deep, calming breath. "And I am not ready to duel you because I happen to be babysitting." The look on complete shock on Voldemort's face was well worth the remark, Thor mused almost maliciously as Draco handed back Lyth to him, and the little dragonlet fell asleep in his arms. He turned to face the wizards and witch. "I'm sorry, I appear to have called you down here for no purpose."  
  
"No purpose," Sirius echoed disbelievingly. "Thor, that's –"  
  
"I'm perfectly aware of who it is," Thor said mildly. "He can't get through the barrier." He started walking away from Voldemort and the barrier, and then everything went red. Thor, Draco, Lyth, and anyone else close enough to the barrier were flung into the air as the silvery barrier exploded in a fiery shower. Thor was thrown back from the explosion as if he were no more than a rag-doll. Lyth was ripped from his arms. The last thing Thor was aware of before he hit the ground and unconsciousness was the loud, angry shrieking of a dragonlet.  
  
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"It's Zodiac, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, that's right. And you're Hermione Granger. I've heard a lot about you."  
  
"Oh…Is Harry – sorry, Thor…is he going to be alright?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I've sent someone to the Unicorn School for the Skyhealers…they'll be able to heal him, if anyone can…"  
  
"Do you think…do you think he can hear us?"  
  
"Probably not. However, it's been my experience with Harry that he does whatever isn't expected of him."  
  
  
  
"Well? Can you heal him?"  
  
"I think so. However…it is probable that there are parts of it that only he himself can heal when he awakes."  
  
"And when will he wake up?"  
  
"That's…uncertain, I'm afraid."  
  
"You know who he is? You know what happened the other day?"  
  
"I do. There's nothing I can do. He doesn't seem to want to wake up, Mage Zodiac."  
  
"Why wouldn't he want to wake up?"  
  
"Didn't you say that his apprentice was taken by this renegade Mage?"  
  
"Well, yes, but there's no way he could know about that…is there?"  
  
"Who knows exactly what a Dragon Child can do if he puts his mind to it? Perhaps you should consider Summoning a dragon. It might help."  
  
"I don't have a triumvirate of Mages."  
  
"Are not wizards powerful enough?"  
  
"No, not for this…"  
  
"Then your only hope is faith. I'm sorry I can't be more help."  
  
"No, don't be. You've been…a great help."  
  
  
  
"What did the healer say?"  
  
"Skyhealer…she was a Skyhealer…she said that he…might not wake up, and there may be some permanent damage."  
  
"What can I do to help?"  
  
"Nothing. There's nothing any of us can do now."  
  
"I can't accept that. There always used to be something I could do to help Harry; I want to help him now too. I *need* to help him now."  
  
"I'm telling you the truth, Hermione. There's nothing anyone can do…except maybe find where they're holding Draco, and get him back."  
  
"Fine. I'll be back later."  
  
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Thor slowly opened his eyes. The room he was in was flooded with light, and he winced for a moment before his eyes gradually grew used to it. He lifted himself to a sitting position, and gazed around himself. He didn't recognise the room he was in…  
  
A door opened, and someone stepped through. With relief Thor recognised Zodiac, and the other Mage grinned on seeing him awake.  
  
"Harry!" he exclaimed. "Thank the Dragons – I almost thought I'd lost you!"  
  
"What – what happened?" Thor croaked. "The last thing I remember…there was an explosion." Zodiac nodded.  
  
"Voldemort evidently found a way to break through your barrier," he explained quietly. "You've been unconscious for nearly a week."  
  
"Where's Draco?" Thor demanded quickly. He caught the look of regret in Zodiac's eyes. "If you're going to tell me something's happened to him, you can leave."  
  
"Harry, he was taken by the Death Eaters before the Dragons arrived," Zodiac told him. "We're still not sure where he's being held." Thor shook his head in disbelief. Zodiac continued. "The dragonlet that you were looking after called his parents, and they came…dozens of them, Harry, they –"  
  
"I don't care about the dragons," Thor said harshly. "All I care about is Draco."  
  
Zodiac stared. "You don't mean that," he soothed finally. "Harry, you were injured pretty badly, you're not thinking properly…"  
  
"Aren't I?" Thor demanded rhetorically. "Oh. I hadn't realised." He lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. "Are – is anybody looking for him?" he demanded, his voice still hoarse. He was answered by silence. He squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
"Hermione is trying," Zodiac admitted softly. "But none of the rest of us have any hope."  
  
"Us?" Thor queried quietly. "Who is here? Where is here?"  
  
"You're still at Hogwarts," Zodiac assured him. "And no-one except Draco was taken. I came as soon as the dragons called me here – and Seraph as well. The Council visited, but they left two days ago." An odd expression flickered onto his face for the barest moment, then he turned away. "I'll be back in a while," he told Thor. "I must contact the Council and tell them that you're awake. I'll send someone in." He left quickly, leaving Thor to his tangled thoughts.  
  
Draco was gone. Draco had been taken. Voldemort had taken Draco. It was an incomprehensible fact, and Thor was not ready to face the reality of it…and why it had happened. He knew why, and he also knew that he would not bring himself to face that fact. Not yet.  
  
The door opened again, and Thor looked up, thankfully disturbed from his musings by Hermione and Seraph, who appeared untied in their concern for him. He sent them a weak smile.  
  
"Thank Merlin," Hermione exclaimed. "Oh, Harry, we never thought you'd –" She cut herself off and hugged him tightly. Seraph ruffled his hair fondly, ignoring his glare, then the two sat down.  
  
"You gave us all quite a scare, Thor," the Veela commented. "At least you're awake now, though." Thor was silent for a moment, then he half- smiled.  
  
"Yes," he agreed. "Being awake is so much better than being asleep on many occasions." Seraph frowned slightly, but he looked away from her to Hermione. "Zodiac said you're looking for Draco."  
  
Hermione nodded, a frustrated look appearing in her eyes. "I haven't been able to trace either him or you-know-who," she admitted. "Or Ron. None of them – they all seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth."  
  
"I suggested that perhaps Voldemort might have taken them to the Dragon- realms," Seraph spoke up quietly. "Zodiac and I have been scrying for them, but we're not attuned enough, not by ourselves at any rate. Perhaps you could…?"  
  
Thor didn't reply for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No," he said softly. "It was my arrogance and pride that got Draco taken in the first place. If we are as sure as we can be that they are in the Dragon-realms, the best choice we have is to go there ourselves. Scrying won't help, not when we're looking for a Mage as powerful as Voldemort."  
  
"I've missed something," Hermione said hesitantly. "Dragon-realms?"  
  
"Where the dragons live," Seraph replied, seeing that Thor was too tired to. "It's not quite in our dimension, but not quite out of it either. It's a different plane of existence, very hard to see into or get into."  
  
"And it's even harder if you haven't been trained in the Dragon Magics," Thor inserted. He had closed his eyes, but now he opened them, gazing up at the ceiling. "Once you're in there, there's no turning back until the dragons let you leave. And they don't always do that. If they think you shouldn't be interfering, they'll detain you until the danger has passed."  
  
"You sound bitter," Hermione observed after a moment. A smile flickered over Thor's face, and he propped himself up on his elbows.  
  
"'Mione, have you ever heard of the Dragon Child Prophecy?" he demanded. She frowned thoughtfully. Seraph's mouth dropped open in shock.  
  
"I think so," Hermione said at last. "Wasn't it that one about some sort of a Dragon Child who will rule everything or something?" She shrugged. "I never did pay much attention to that false Seeing stuff."  
  
"It was a Dragon Prophecy," Thor reminded her. "There's never yet been one of those that hasn't come true."  
  
"Thor," Seraph started warningly. "Don't you even think about it. She's a witch, she's not part of the Circle, you cannot tell her!" Thor ignored her. Hermione glanced between the Mages curiously. Thor gazed evenly at the Veela Mage. "Thor, don't make me order you to be silent."  
  
"I wouldn't obey such an order anyway," Thor pointed out mildly. "You'd do better to blurt out the entire secret anyway, Hermione seems to be well on her way to guessing." Seraph looked quickly at Hermione, who was staring at Thor with something akin to awe. "Oh, 'Mione, don't look at me like that."  
  
"Harry," Hermione said slowly. "Are you saying that you are the Dragon Child the prophecy refers to?" He nodded silently. She leant back in her chair. "Right. Okay." An icy glint suddenly entered her eyes. "And you told no-one about this because…?"  
  
"He was forbidden by the Council," Seraph told her wearily. "It's dangerous knowledge, Hermione. Harry could become the target of a myriad of people. I'm not saying he can't take care of himself, but it's too risky for the Circle."  
  
"Maybe I can't take care of myself," Thor muttered after a pause. "I wasn't paying attention o my barrier, or Voldemort would never have been able to explode it and take Draco." He clenched his fists tight as a wave of emotion threatened to overcome him. Then he looked back up at Seraph. "Seraph, I need your help."  
  
"Doing what?" she inquired hesitantly.  
  
"Forming a triumvirate to create a portal into the Dragon-realms and take some of the people here into them."  
  
She stared. "Thor," she said carefully, "if I ever swore, I'd be swearing now."  
  
"I'll do it for her," came Zodiac's angry voice from the door. "Bloody hell, Thor, what on earth are you thinking? You must really have banged your head, or else I did – I thought I just heard you say that you wanted to form a triumvirate and force your way into the Dragon-realms with a bunch of witches and wizards."  
  
"Yes," Thor agreed calmly. "That's what I said."  
  
"Mother of Dragons, Harry, are you crazy?" Zodiac demanded loudly. "To force your way into the realms – that's a violation of everything we stand for! You cannot simply just –"  
  
"It wouldn't be forcing our way in!" Thor snapped. "If you'd forgotten, they granted me free access. And if we're right, if Voldemort is in there, don't you think they'd be glad of a little help? I certainly think so, even if you don't!" he took a deep breath; his ribs hurt, so he let it out quickly. "Look, it couldn't happen until I'm healed anyway. By then we may have found out if they're keeping Draco in this world or not. If they're not, I'm going to the Dragon-realms, with or without your help."  
  
Zodiac frowned thoughtfully at him, his anger dissipating. "You meant what you said," he realised. "You care more for Draco than you do about being a Mage, about who you are."  
  
Thor nodded. "I care more for Draco than I do about myself," he said quietly. "And I've finally realised it." He shrugged. "Getting Draco back is all that matters to me right now. Voldemort can go hang for all I care." He smiled ghostly, bitter smile. "And besides, now the Mages are involved I don't have to defeat him alone, or even at all."  
  
Seraph and Zodiac exchanged glances. Thor looked between them in mild confusion, then the truth hit him like a dragon tail to the stomach. He closed his eyes again.  
  
"Please," he found his voice. "Please tell me that the Council has taken responsibility for Voldemort." He was not answered. Thor attempted to calm himself; it did not work. The windows of the room smashed to pieces. The mirror shattered. The door started clattering open and shut. "I don't think I want to talk to either of you right now," Thor said over the noise. "I think you should leave."  
  
"Thor," Zodiac said urgently. "The explosion – Voldemort did something to you, your mental control of your powers…"  
  
Thor sat up, probing his own mind. "It's gone," he said finally. "I can't control it." He laughed. "How typical of him. How absolutely bloody typical." The laughter slowly turned to tears, and Seraph silently ushered Hermione from the room. Zodiac moved to sit on the bed and hugged Thor as he had when he had first begun teaching him as a boy.  
  
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To be continued. 


	6. Awakenings of Change

Author's Notes: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed. I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer; nothing you recognise is mine, as usual.  
  
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"Let's try this again, Harry," Zodiac said wearily. "This time, try not to hit the ceiling."  
  
Thor nodded, every bit as tired as Zodiac, and levitated himself. A moment later, his head again hit the ceiling, and he dropped to the floor with a groan.  
  
"I'm never going to get this," he complained. "It's worse than it was when I first learnt it – I still know how to do it, I have all the technique, I just can't control the damn power!" He rose unsteadily. "Zodiac, we've been at this all day."  
  
"And we'll stay at it until you can levitate yourself safely again," Zodiac snapped. "Do you want to go into battle knowing the next time you try to levitate out of the way of your opponent's spell, you could end up on the Moon?"  
  
"No," Thor conceded with a sigh. "Can we at least take a short break?" Zodiac gazed at him for a moment, then nodded.  
  
"Five minutes," he warned. "Not a moment longer." Thor smiled, a rare occurrence since he had woken up five days before, and swiftly left the room. Sirius and Snape were waiting for him in the hallway, and they grimaced at him as he dropped thankfully into a waiting chair.  
  
"You look like he's killing you," Snape remarked dryly. "Perhaps he really is." Thor spared him a glare.  
  
"No," He objected. "It's not that bad, it's just frustrating." He searched for a comparison. "Imagine if you still knew all the theory of making potions, but you didn't have steady enough hands to make them properly, or you didn't have a crucial ingredient. It's like that. I remember how to do everything, it's just…I can't control what I do. It's worse than when I first started training."  
  
"Are you finished for the day?" Sirius wanted to know. Thor shook his head.  
  
"Only a break," he explained. "I've got some control back, but I need to be able to levitate by the end of the day, or Zodiac will make me work all night. Again." He yawned. "Has Hermione found anything yet?"  
  
"No," Sirius admitted. "And she's not likely to, Seraph says. She says that she may have caught a glimpse of Voldemort in the Dragon-realms – was that it, Snape?" Snape nodded agreement. Thor looked sharply at his godfather.  
  
"Is she sure?" he demanded. Sirius silently nodded. Thor leant his head back against the cool wall, fighting the onslaught of a headache. "Damn. Damn. Bloody Mother of Dragons."  
  
"Thor!" Zodiac called from inside the room. "Get back in here and fix this mess!" Thor pushed himself out of his chair, offered Sirius a wan smile, and went back to Zodiac, who was standing in the middle of the room with chairs flying around him.  
  
"I didn't mean to do it," Thor excused himself as he attempted to set the chairs back down on the floor. "Sirius just told me that it's now almost certain that Voldemort is in the Dragon-realms."  
  
"The fact that you didn't mean to do it shows everything," Zodiac reminded him. "Thor, if you don't get this under control, you'll never be able to get into the Dragon-realms, and neither will the rest of us without you. It shouldn't be so hard on you, you've done this before."  
  
"Well, as long as it doesn't take another ten years, I'll be satisfied," Thor muttered, as he finally got all the chairs back onto the ground. "Actually, no I won't," he sighed. Zodiac gazed at him compassionately for a moment, then nodded slowly.  
  
"I know," he said softly. "I won't let it take ten years, Thor. I won't let it take another ten days unless it's absolutely necessary. Now, levitate two meters off the ground. If you hit the ceiling again I'll take away those boots you're so damn fond of." Thor grimaced, and lifted himself off the ground. A moment later, he peered down at Zodiac.  
  
"Three meters is better than last time," he reminded the Mage. "Do I get to keep my boots?" Zodiac grinned, and Thor dropped back down to the ground. "I'll try for two," Thor said, and again levitated. Hitting the ceiling. Zodiac's grin disappeared, and he moved over to the wall and hit his head on it repeatedly.  
  
"You'll give yourself concussion," Thor remarked, drifting back down to the ground. "I'm doing better than I was, Zodiac, you have to admit it."  
  
"Oh, yes," Zodiac agreed. "You can control your levitation one time out of five, you can block Unicorn, Dragon, Griffin, Beast and Basilisk magics three times out of ten, and you can't aim a spell to save your life, literally. Forgive me if I start worrying, Thor!" Thor was silent. "Look, I'm sorry, Harry," Zodiac apologised. "It's just difficult. You're one of the best, and now, without any control…"  
  
"I'm worse than a beginning apprentice," Thor completed. 'I know. But I am improving, and I do still know how to do everything." He shrugged awkwardly. "And I'm not one of the best. I'm not half as sensible as you or Seraph…I rush into things." He smiled lopsidedly. "When I was at school they'd call it Gryffindor bravery, rushing into things courageously without thinking them through. That's what I do, I'm afraid."  
  
"But you recognise that," Zodiac pointed out. "You can see that shortcoming in yourself. It's the first step towards correcting it." Thor nodded, then took a deep breath, and slowly levitated himself up into the air.  
  
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It was dark now, and Thor sat on the castle steps watching the stars reveal themselves above him. Most of the inhabitants of the castle were asleep or nearly, but Thor hadn't been able to find that peaceful state of being, and so he had come out to stargaze.  
  
The door opened behind him. Dumbledore sat down on the step next to him.  
  
"Hello, Professor," Thor greeted softly. "What brings you out here?"  
  
"I haven't seen you in several days, I was wondering how you are, Thor," Dumbledore replied equally quietly. "I assume your re-training is going according to plan?"  
  
"Well, I'm still at about the level I was ten years ago control-wise," Thor admitted. "But I'm improving quickly. At least, I think I am." He shrugged. "Only time will tell, and unfortunately we're running out of it."  
  
"Indeed. Mage Seraph tells me that she has pinpointed Voldemort's location to the Dragon-realms. Will the Council of Mages be journeying there?"  
  
Thor shrugged again. "Probably not. Zodiac and Seraph won't actually come straight out and say it, but the Council won't touch Voldemort with a ten- foot barge pole, especially whilst he's in the Dragon-realms. Mages aren't supposed to interfere with the dragons, you see. And Voldemort…well, if I asked them outright about why they're not going to help stop him, they'd say that I've always insisted he's my problem." Thor shook his head. "But I don't know if I can beat him," he admitted. "I thought I could, but he got through my barrier, and now…now he has emotional leverage against me. He has my apprentice."  
  
"Voldemort has always used peoples emotions to his advantage," Dumbledore noted. "And, of course, he is quite likely angry at Draco for depriving him of Lucius Malfoy." Thor nodded slowly. "May I ask you something, Thor?"  
  
Thor gave him a strange look. "I remember when I asked you that," he murmured. "Of course you can, Professor."  
  
"If the Circle of Mages are forbidden from interfering with dragons, why are you so insistent on following Voldemort into the Dragon-realms?" the wizard inquired. "Surely there will be repercussions of such an action." Thor met his eyes; the wizard knew why he was going to do this, he realised. A corner of his mouth twitched.  
  
"Draco," he replied quietly. "It's always Draco. And yes, there will be repercussions. But not, I suspect, of the sort you are thinking of." He stretched languidly. "Urgh. I think I have another concussion from hitting my head too hard." He was deliberately avoiding the subject, and he knew that Dumbledore knew it. He was fixed with a steady gaze from the wizard, and he sighed. "It's…complicated," he admitted. "More complicated than anyone ever thought while I was attending Hogwarts. You see…" He let out a breath. "There's a Dragon Prophecy," he admitted. "About me. About how I'm supposed to make peace in the world, or something or other. There've been a load of different interpretations of it."  
  
"Would this be the Prophecy about the Dragon Child ruling with a Unicorn born?" Dumbledore inquired slowly. "I seem to recall Mr Malfoy becoming very excited about it some years ago." Thor nodded. "So you are this Dragon Child."  
  
"Yes," Thor agreed. "And I think…I think Draco is the Unicorn born." They were silent for a long time. Thor gazed up at the stars, idly naming them in his mind. A cool wind started up.  
  
"I had not appreciated until now exactly how much you have changed, Harry," Dumbledore admitted finally. "I apologise for it. You have grown up more than any of us expected, I think." Thor raised his eyebrows.  
  
'Apology accepted," he said. "Gladly. I have grown up…but in other ways I haven't." He gazed up thoughtfully at the sky again. Dumbledore's talk of growing up was making him feel nostalgic, and he intensely disliked the feeling. But then again, he did miss those days when he had been a Gryffindor, bickering with the Slytherins, baiting Snape, talking to Hagrid…A lump rose in his throat. Back then he hadn't had a problem controlling his magic. Back then his worst problem had been whether or not he was going to pass the next Transfiguration test…that, or worrying about man-eating basilisks…  
  
His head snapped up. Basilisks. The Chamber of Secrets. Basilisk Magic. The Founders' Magic! A slow grin spread across his face. "I don't suppose my dad's Cloak is anywhere about, is it?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at him curiously. "Yes, I believe Hermione has it," he replied. 'Why, Thor?"  
  
"I have a feeling it might come in useful," Thor remarked, stretching again. He stood up. "Goodnight, Professor." He moved into the castle, leaving Dumbledore thinking. He slipped through the dark corridors, up through the school, until he reached Hermione's room. He knocked on the door. A moment later, Hermione appeared, bleary-eyed.  
  
"Harry, it's nearly midnight," she yawned. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong," he said hurriedly. "Dumbledore said you have my old Cloak." She stared at him in disbelief. 'I'm going for a walk, and I don't want anyone to see me," he enlarged. She raised a sceptical eyebrow. 'Oh, if you must know I'm going down to the Chamber of Secrets."  
  
Her expression instantly changed from one of disapproval to excitement. "Oh, Harry, really? I've never been down there, I don't suppose…"  
  
"Okay," Thor relented. "But you'll have to come now, and don't make a fuss about anything that happens, alright?" The suspicious look that he knew so well crept onto her face.  
  
"Harry," she said slowly. "What are you going to do?" A smile spread across his face.  
  
"I figured something out," he explained. "Only Zodiac and Seraph would kill me if they found out." She raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Basilisks, Hermione! Basilisks! That one I killed – there must be reams of Basilisk Magic down there, and if I combine *that* with the Founders' Magic that is inherently in the castle, I *might* be able to restore my control again without having to work at it. I also might be able to open a semi-permanent portal to the Dragon-realms that would let all you non-Mages in!"  
  
"But Harry, you don't have any control to begin with," she pointed out. "What could happen if it doesn't work?"  
  
He frowned. "I hadn't thought of that," he admitted. "Hmm. Well, I guess at worst I could blow up the school." She looked horrified. "But I really don't think that will happen," he assured her. "And anyway, the Chamber is under the lake, so it would be the lake that exploded, not the school. So no-one would get hurt."  
  
"Have you told anyone except me about this?" Hermione demanded. Thor shuffled his feet. "Harry, you at least have to tell someone that you're going." He opened his mouth. "And I don't count, since I'm going with you."  
  
He frowned, then grinned. "George. We can tell George." Hermione gave a long-suffering sigh, and disappeared into her rooms for a moment. She returned, dressed, dragging a half-asleep Weasley twin.  
  
"What is going on?" George demanded. "I was in the middle of a really good dream."  
  
"Hermione and I are going to the Chamber of Secrets to see if I can restore my magical control using the Founders' Magic of Hogwarts and the Basilisk Magic left over by Slytherin's basilisks," Thor said in a rush. "Hermione said we had to tell someone. We've told you. See you later, George." He tugged the familiar material from Hermione's hands, settled it over himself and Hermione, and rushed her off down the corridor before his words could settle into George's sleep-clogged mind.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione hissed. "That was not what I had in mind!"  
  
"Sorry," he murmured. "Come on – Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."  
  
"She still has a crush on you, you know," Hermione reminded him slyly. Thor shrugged. "I'll just tell her I'm bi and in love with Draco," he said complacently. "Come on, I want to do this before Zodiac and Seraph realise I'm gone."  
  
"Harry, exactly how much trouble could you get into for doing this?" she asked. He flashed her a grin.  
  
"Where's your Gryffindor spirit?" he demanded amusedly. "This isn't any different from anything I did when I was here…except that there's a chance I could be de-Named because of it." They had reached Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and he gave her no chance to exclaim her shock. He pulled the Cloak off them – Myrtle was thankfully absent – and searched the sinks for the small etching of a snake that he *knew* was here.  
  
"Damned if I can remember which bloody tap it was," he muttered. "Ah – here it is." He looked back at Hermione, taking a deep breath. "Ready?"  
  
"AS I'll ever be," she agreed. "Go ahead."  
  
He looked back at the tap. "Open up," he hissed. The hole in the wall swirled open just as he remembered. Now that he was a Mage, he could almost smell the Basilisk Magic oozing from the hidden Chamber. He shot a grin at Hermione. "I was right," he told her. "There's enough Magic down there to blast a hole in the fabric of time if someone does the right spells."  
  
"Don't even think about doing the 'right spells'," she cautioned him. He held out a hand silently, and she took it. He bit his lip, and slowly levitated them both through the hole, and down into the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Zodiac sat up suddenly. He gazed about wildly for a moment, then leapt out of bed, pulled on his shirt, and raced into the adjoining room where Thor was supposed to be sleeping. The resulting swearing brought Seraph in from her room, wearing only her uniform shirt and rubbing at her eyes.  
  
'What the hell is it?" she demanded. "It's midnight, Zodiac!"  
  
"Thor's gone," Zodiac said grimly. "And you can bet that he's about to do something stupid."  
  
Seraph stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "I'll get dressed," she said crisply. "You…finish getting dressed. Three minutes." She disappeared back into her room, and Zodiac returned to his.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"So this is the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione whispered. Her voice echoed around the damp walls and caverns. "It's very…wet."  
  
"And it still stinks of basilisk blood from fifteen years ago," Thor complained, picking his way over a pile of rubble. "Hmph. And Basilisk Magic, if it comes to that." He looked around. 'It hasn't changed – although I guess there's been no-one to come in here."  
  
"Mmm," Hermione agreed, not succeeding at hiding her anxiousness. "Harry, could you just do…whatever it is you want to do and get us out of here?" he spared her a thoughtful glance, but nodded, and closed his eyes. Hermione took a calming breath as wisps of silvery dust began floating around him. She took an unconscious step away from him. Thor ignored her. He was attempting to drag the Basilisk magic into him to rebuild the barriers that he *knew* were in there – he was almost positive that the mental barriers of his control had only been veiled, or dismantled by Voldemort. If they had been completely gone, he wouldn't have even had a modicum of control.  
  
But Thor was unprepared for the other Magics that had somehow been mixed up with the Basilisk Magic. He managed to identify Griffin Magic, Unicorn Magic, and even some Dragon Magic all mixed up in the most dangerous combination of Magics he had ever seen. There was enough Magic here to blow a hole through the earth, he realised with a shock. And he was in no condition to control it. He could have kicked himself for his stupidity, but the Magics were freezing him in his place as they swamped him…he couldn't control it, he couldn't stop the Magics entering him…he barely heard Hermione's shriek of fear as he seemed to go blind…  
  
Then the Magic stopped rushing into him, and he collapsed onto the wet, cold ground.  
  
'Silly child,' hissed a familiar voice. 'What were you thinking? Do you have any comprehension of the Magics you have disturbed here?' Thor could not answer, his throat was raw, and all of his muscles were screaming in agony. The dragon stalked around him, settling onto the ground in front of him. 'Stupid, stupid dragonling. Now you have set in motion things that should have not begun for many of your months. You continually interfere with your destiny!'  
  
'Ygrivaine-Morpugra,' Thor gasped. 'What…what was that?' The dragon was silent in her fury. 'Ygrivaine-Morpugra, please, I must know what I have done.'  
  
'You have begun the Change,' the dragon admitted softly, her anger fleeing before her compassion. 'Now there is no chance for you to stop the wheels of destiny and time.'  
  
'What is the Change?' Thor demanded shrilly. 'What is happening? Is it something to do with the Prophecy?'  
  
'Yes,' the dragon agreed. 'The Change is what makes you a Dragon Child in power and mind as well as in birth. The Change is what turns you from a mere Mage into the Dragon King of the realms. The Change is what makes the Unicorn-born who will rule by your side aware of who he is.'  
  
'It is Draco then,' Thor gasped, still in agony. 'He is the Unicorn-born of the Prophecy.' The dragon's words caught up with him. 'Ygrivaine- Morpugra, then that is what the Prophecy means? I am supposed to rule?'  
  
'Yes,' the dragon admitted quietly. 'That is what the Prophecy means.'  
  
'But…but I can't rule,' Thor protested. 'I – I can't – I'm not good enough – I'm too young…'  
  
'The last Dragon Child was younger than you," Ygrivaine-Morpugra chided him. 'And you have your Unicorn-born beside you to aid you.'  
  
'But he is gone,' Thor whispered. 'Voldemort took him – tell me, Ygrivaine- Morpugra, is he in the Dragon-realms? Is he?' His muscles burned, he almost shrieked with the pain, but he kept his green eyes on the black jewelled gaze of the dragon.  
  
'We do not interfere in your matters, dragonling,' the dragon told him quietly. 'But…' she seemed uneasy at saying this, 'but you *are* the Dragon Child…' Thor urged her on with his eyes – he could not do more, he felt like he was going to throw up. 'Yes. Yes, they are in the eastern most part of the Dragon-realms. Because he has the Unicorn-born, none of us dare to confront and expel the Mage Voldemort. That is all I may tell you.'  
  
'It is more than enough,' Thor managed. 'Thank you, Ygrivaine-Morpugra. I can't express my gratitude.' The dragon gazed at him solemnly for a long moment.  
  
'No, my dragonling,' she said quietly. 'It is I that should thank you.' She raised herself from the ground, and then made the dragon equivalent to a obeisance. Thor stared. Such a motion was, for a dragon, reserved for the most high. It was the most honouring thing a dragon could do. Ygrivaine-Morpugra looked up at him again. 'Until I see you in the Dragon- realms, my king, stay safe.' Thor gazed in shock at her as she spread her leathery wings, flapped them once, and disappeared.  
  
"Harry! Harry! HARRY!" Hermione was screaming. Thor blinked, then turned his head, noting that the pain was fading from his limbs. "Harry, what the hell was that!"  
  
"I should like to know that too!" Zodiac said harshly from the entrance to the Chamber. "You left that entrance open, Thor," he told the younger Mage. "What in blazes do you think you were doing, Summoning a dragon in a place as magically mixed-up as this?"  
  
"I didn't," Thor rasped. He pulled himself to his feet, facing away from them for a moment as he made sure that he could actually stand, then looked at them. Zodiac took one look at him and stepped backwards in disbelief. "I didn't Summon her, she just came. She says that I've set the Change in motion, for me and for Draco." He carefully stretched first one arm, then the other, as the pain was replaced by stiffness.  
  
"The Change," Zodiac repeated. "Mother of all dragons, Harry…Thor…you've begun the Change." Seraph, who had been just behind him, stepped forward now, her eyes firmly fixed on Thor's.  
  
"My king," she said formally. "I greet you." Then she knelt, the greatest show of trust, respect, and honour a Mage could give, the equivalent of the dragon obeisance. Thor blinked.  
  
Then Zodiac followed Seraph's example and knelt. "My king," he echoed. "I greet you."  
  
Hermione looked disbelievingly between all the Mages. Then she looked at Thor, and she too knelt, for although she did not know the meaning of what had just happened, she understood the significance of it. Thor gazed at all three of them, then a strange smile flitted over his face.  
  
"Yes," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "Yes. I am the Dragon King."  
  
Far away, in eastern parts of the Dragon-realms, Voldemort stiffened in pain. Draco, tied up behind him on the ground, felt it too, but he did not feel pain. He felt as if he was awakening from a dream, and only now was he in the real world. He knew who he was, what he was meant to do…and he knew that Thor was now the Dragon King.  
  
"So," Voldemort hissed. "I greatly wonder who this Dragon King is." He slowly turned to face Draco; Draco met his gaze evenly and without fear. "Perhaps," Voldemort mused. "You will tell me." He advanced on Draco with slow, deliberate steps, and Draco reached out in his mind to Thor.  
  
*Help me* he called silently. *Help me, Harry.*  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
To be continued. 


	7. Preparations

Author's Notes: I'm hoping that putting a slightly longer chapter up will make some of you consider not hurling heavy objects at my head (cringes in anticipation). I'm going on holiday for ten days. I won't have access to my computer – although I may be able to write some of chapter eight. Therefore, there will be no new chapter up until at least Thursday 6th May, possibly the Friday depending on how quickly I write the new chapter. I'm very sorry – don't throw heavy things at me! – especially since I've left this chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger. I really don't mean to end them like this, I swear…Thanks again to all you lovely people who review!  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer – must I go through this again? None of them are mine if you recognise them.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When Zodiac, Seraph, Hermione and Thor finally made it back up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, they were greeted by half the witches and wizards in the castle. At the front of them were Snape, Sirius and Dumbledore. Snape and Sirius both looked absolutely furious, Thor winced at the expressions on everyone else's faces.  
  
"It was my fault," he admitted. "I took Hermione down there, and Zodiac and Seraph followed me."  
  
"Why did you feel it necessary to go down into the Chamber of Secrets?" Dumbledore inquired gently. "Surely there are, ah, more accessible places to go, even in Hogwarts."  
  
"Yes, but not with as much Magic," Thor replied. He took a step away from Zodiac's supporting arms and almost fell to the ground; Sirius managed to catch him. "Thanks. I guess that magic took it out of me."  
  
"Took it out of you!" Zodiac repeated loudly. "More like pulled it into you! Of all the stupid –" He cut himself off as he remembered who Thor was now. Thor shot him a curious look, then turned back to Dumbledore.  
  
"Voldemort is definitely holed up in the Dragon-realms. My control is back – I think. I can now guarantee that the Circle of Mages will help you. I can almost promise that all the magical beasts and peoples of England will help, and I can definitely promise that the dragons will aid us."  
  
"How can you promise this, when before they wouldn't help?" Fred Weasley demanded.  
  
Thor shrugged uncomfortably. "I just can," he said. "I can't explain why just now." He yawned. "Right now, I just need to sleep." He shrugged off Sirius's arms, carefully put his weight on first one foot then the other, and started towards the door of the bathroom.  
  
"Thor," Zodiac called to him. "We have to tell them something more." Thor paused for a moment, but didn't look back. He shrugged finally.  
  
"Tell them whatever you want," he said wearily. "I'm too tired to care right now." He took another step, then collapsed with a shriek of pain. The pain stopped as soon as it had come, but it left him gasping. It was the first sign of his new connection with Draco, and it only served to strengthen his resolve to find Draco as soon as possible.  
  
Seraph and Zodiac reached him before anyone else, and helped him back to his feet. Pale-faced, eyes glinting, he nodded appreciation.  
  
"What happened, Thor?" Dumbledore inquired. Thor glanced back at the old wizard.  
  
"It's the first signs of the Change," he admitted. "My new connection with Draco. He's in pain…and Voldemort is the one inflicting it." He grimaced. "Zodiac, perhaps you would be so good as to contact the Council for me, and get them here by tomorrow…or is it today already? Well, whatever it is, you'd better get them here." He staggered through the door. Zodiac and Seraph looked at each other, then at the expectant witches and wizards.  
  
"Seraph, tell them something," Zodiac ordered her. "I'll get the Council." He followed his former apprentice from the bathroom, leaving Seraph to stare helplessly at the group.  
  
Thor made his way slowly back to Draco's room. The room he was supposed to be in, next to Zodiac and Seraph, was situated at the other side of the castle, but after feeling that vivid connection with Draco, even for such a short time, Thor wanted to be somewhere Draco had been. He opened the door of the dark, silent room, and stepped inside. The air was cool, as if no- one had been in here for days.  
  
"No-one has," he murmured. He moved towards the bed, pulling off his shirt, and sat on the edge of it as he carefully removed his boots, wet with the damp murk of the Chamber of Secrets. Then he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and slept as the Change began to take effect in his body.  
  
The sun was high in the sky when Thor awoke. He yawned, stretched out in the bed, and winced from pain that was not his own. He narrowed his eyes at an enemy that was not there.  
  
"Voldemort," he muttered. "I'm going to get you soon." He slowly sat up, loosening taut muscles, and reached for his shirt.  
  
It wasn't there. Nor were, he saw, his dragon-hide boots. Thor took a deep breath. His familiar, comfortable uniform had been replaced by different clothes. Black trousers and shirt. A silvery cloak. Shoes. In fact, all that remained of his Mage uniform were the trousers that Thor hadn't removed when he had fallen asleep.  
  
He took another deep breath. There was no sense in loosing his temper, he reminded himself. After all, he was still War Mage Thor, even if half the world was going to insist on calling him Dragon King. No, it would be best if he stayed calm, didn't get angry, and just went and found Zodiac – and, hopefully, his uniform. He grabbed his wand, stuck it in his belt, and stalked from Draco's room.  
  
Seraph was sitting cross-legged on the floor just outside his door, and he nearly tripped over her before she jumped up.  
  
"Thor," she said smilingly. "You're awake…but you'd better get dressed, the entire…" She trailed off at the look of restrained anger in his eyes. "Thor, quoi?" she demanded, lapsing into her native French in her alarm. "Tu n'aime pas les vêtements?" (Thor, what? Don't you like the clothes?)  
  
"No," Thor growled. "Where the hell is my uniform?" Seraph winced.  
  
"Thor, the Council thought that you should wear something different now that the Change has begun," she said soothingly. "Your uniform is a bit, well, ordinary for the Dragon King." She gave him an apologetic smile. "Zodiac and I tried to talk them out of it, but…"  
  
"My uniform is comfortable," Thor enunciated his words carefully. "My uniform is the mark of a Mage, which, incidentally, is what I am. My uniform is *mine*. Where is it?"  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure," she admitted. "I think maybe Coyote would know."  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"The Great Hall, they're all eating lunch."  
  
"Let's go," he ordered, and set off at break-neck speed through the castle. Seraph, who did not know the halls and corridors half as well as he did, struggled to keep up by skidding on the floors, but Thor stopped for nothing, not even a ghost in the entrance hall – he stormed straight through the startled Bloody Baron. He flung open the doors to the Great Hall, swept his eyes over the tables, and pounced on Coyote.  
  
"Where are my clothes?" he seethed. Coyote blinked; around them other Mages stirred. Thor ignored them all.  
  
"I'm not sure," Coyote said slowly. "Perhaps Zodiac knows?" With a growl of frustration Thor grabbed hold of the collar of Coyote's shirt and lifted the man out of his seat.  
  
"Don't you dare play games with me," he hissed. "I want my clothes back. Now." Coyote gritted his teeth, but made a symbol in the air. A moment later Thor's clothes were on him. Except for his boots, which he quickly pulled on. "Thank you," he said curtly. "Next time, try to remember that I actually quite like this uniform, and I'm still a War Mage even if I am the Dragon King."  
  
"So it's true then?" another Mage demanded. "You're – you're the Dragon King?" Thor spared the Mage an appraising glance, then nodded.  
  
"It's true" he nodded. "Is that lunch?" Zodiac rose from his seat in the next table.  
  
"Thor," he called. "Perhaps you'd better come and sit here." Thor, with a nod, obeyed his former teacher, and quickly started eating. "Thor, I know you're quite attached to your clothes, but did you have to make a scene?"  
  
"Well, you know me," Thor grinned. "Always have to be the centre of attention."  
  
"Oh, believe me," Zodiac said fervently. "You are most definitely the centre of attention after last night's events." A serious look came over Thor's face, and he nodded slowly. "Thor, am I right in assuming that you actually have a plan now?"  
  
"Yes," Thor agreed, helping himself to more vegetables. "Is the entire Circle here, Zodiac?"  
  
Zodiac grinned unapologetically. "Sorry. I told them that the Dragon King had begun the Change and they Apparated here in an instant." Thor raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Thor, this is huge. You can't expect nothing to happen when you've started the Change and called the Council here – called, mind you, not asked for a representative or any of the normal things."  
  
"Well, I've never been normal," Thor shrugged. "But I guess it's good that the whole Circle is here. Voldemort can't fail to realise it, and hopefully he'll start getting scared." He finished his meal, and looked around the Great Hall with critical eyes. "Hmm. Vanille is a Unicorn Mage, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes, she finished her specialisation last autumn," Zodiac agreed.  
  
"Good," Thor murmured, deep in thought. "Alright, here's what I need you to do. Get a representative from each type of Magic, tell them to meet me up in the Astronomy tower in half an hour or so. It doesn't matter who, so long as they're not from the Council. Then I need you to talk to Dumbledore, make sure as someone represents the wizarding world when we meet up in the Astronomy tower. Lastly, get the Council to send out magical warnings to Voldemort, warning him that he's broken whatever laws they can pin on him. Got that?"  
  
"Yes," Zodiac said slowly. "Harry, what's going on?" An almost gleeful smile flickered onto Thor's face for a moment before being replaced with a grave look.  
  
"If I'm to be Dragon King, I have to have the backing of all the magical races," he explained. "I researched a lot of it last year, after I'd finished training. The last Dragon King died about ten thousand years ago – a drop in the ocean for dragons, obviously – but during his reign he had created a sort of council of all the magical people and beasts he was ruling. I want to do the same sort of thing – it's the only way to get all the beasts and beings to cooperate." He caught Zodiac's eyes curiously.  
  
Zodiac was watching his former apprentice with something akin to awe. Thor seemed to have changed so much overnight…and yet, if he admitted it to himself, Thor had always taken charge of situations like this. it was what he did. It was, he smiled to himself, what Thor would call a Gryffindor trait. He shook himself as Thor frowned at him.  
  
"Are you alright, Zodiac?" the young Mage demanded. "You look a little…I don't know. As though you've been misplaced."  
  
"Perhaps I have been," Zodiac mused. "You truly are the Dragon king, Harry." Colour flushed Thor's cheeks, and he looked away. Zodiac rose. "I'll fetch the people you wanted," he said quietly. "And tell the Council to send out the warnings. I don't think they'll do much good, Thor."  
  
"The warnings? They aren't meant to."  
  
"Ah." Zodiac frowned, but sauntered away along the tables, stopping every now again to talk to a Mage in a low voice. Thor watched him for a moment, then rose and caught Snape's eyes. He jerked his head towards the door, then started for it. A moment later, Snape followed him.  
  
"Well?" the Potions Master snapped. "What do you want? If it's to feed me some ridiculous story of you being some sort of a king, I –"  
  
"Dragon King," Thor overrode him. "And it's not directly about that. I need some Potions, and as I'm sure you remember with relish, I can barely make a simple boil-curing potion. Besides, you're practically the best Potions Master the wizarding world has ever seen, so it makes sense that I ask you to make them for me."  
  
Snape stared at him suspiciously. "Which potions?" he demanded. "It's hard to get ingredients now, Thor. All the suppliers are either Death Eaters, collaborators, or in work camps."  
  
"Some invisibility potion, lots of healing potions, some burn-ease, some pepper-up…" Thor hesitated. "And some Polyjuice and Veritaserum," he finished quietly. Snape's eyebrows met his hairline. "Look, I can't explain to you why I need those last two. The others are fairly obvious, I should imagine. We're going into battle, Severus, and we're going soon. Can you make the potions or not?"  
  
"I don't have any shredded boomslang skin," Snape said abruptly. "And not nearly enough lacewings, dragon liver, or porcupine quills."  
  
"But you have everything else?" Thor checked. Snape nodded. "I can get you those ingredients. How soon can you start?"  
  
"I can make batches of pepper-up and healing potions by tonight," Snape replied. "I can start the invisibility potion, and the Veritaserum, providing you don't need much Veritaserum. I may have some Polyjuice potion already…I'll have to check its potency, of course. I can't finish the invisibility potion until I have the lacewings. The burn-ease requires porcupine quills and dragon liver."  
  
"I can probably get you all three by tomorrow morning," Thor told him. "The Polyjuice potion isn't as important as the others, but I'd be grateful if you could make sure I have some anyway. I don't need much Veritaserum – enough for two full-grown men will be plenty."  
  
Snape's eyes sharpened. "For you and Draco?"  
  
"I never said that."  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed. He nodded once, then disappeared in the direction of his dungeons. Thor watched him go for a moment, then turned and went back into the Great Hall, where Zodiac was now herding a dozen Mages out of a side door. Thor looked over all the remaining Mages carefully, then moved his gaze to the witches and wizards, most of whom had already finished eating and were beginning to flock past him out of the Great Hall. Then the Mages began leaving also, and Thor weaved his way through the crowds to grab hold of two Mages.  
  
"Sellisse," he greeted the taller Mage. "Opele," to the shorter one, "could I have a word with you two?" They nodded silently, and followed him out of the castle onto the front steps. Thor motioned for them to sit down, and they did so, still silently watching him. "I need to ask a favour of you both."  
  
"Name it," Sellisse said instantly. Thor furrowed his brow.  
  
"This isn't because of last night, is it?" he demanded. "Because, well, I don't want it to be."  
  
"You saved my life three years ago, Thor," Sellisse told him gravely. "I owe you a life debt." Not for the first time was Thor immensely grateful to the ethics of Half-Elves and their life debts. "What do you need us to do?" Sellisse asked.  
  
"Contact your people," Thor replied. "Get a representative here as soon as possible – obviously I can't ask you two, as you're Mages."  
  
Opele grunted. "Well, that's all well 'n good," he remarked. "But how will any dwarf representative get 'ere from Armorego? Or th'Half-Elves for that matter," he jerked his head at Sellisse. "I'm not objectin' or nuthin', but you've gotta be realistic."  
  
"The Half-Elves can fetch someone from the dwarves," Sellisse told the stout dwarf Mage. "The Forests are not far from the mountain mines, after all, and our mode of transport is swift." She looked back at Thor. "What shall I tell the rulers?"  
  
"Tell them that the Dragon King respectfully requests a meeting with a representative of the Half-Elves at Hogwarts, as soon as is convenient," Thor said slowly, trying to fit what he wanted to say around the complicated Half-Elven etiquette. Sellisse raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Well, something to that effect," he said hastily. "You know me and Half- Elven protocols – and they're your people!" Sellisse gave a shrug, a half- bow, and then started walking in the direction of the lake to contact her people. Thor looked hopefully at the dwarf Mage.  
  
"Ah, 'course I'll contact 'em," Opele grunted. "They'll be 'ere as soon as them Half-Elves are." He too bowed – a gesture that seemed almost humorous when coming from a Mage who was half Thor's height – and retreated back into the castle.  
  
Thor took a moment to look about him at the grounds of Hogwarts. The huge lawns, the distant, silent Quidditch pitch, the still lake, and the dark Forbidden Forest. It was funny, he mused, how it all seemed to be stuck in time. It looked the same as it had when he had been at school here, and yet he had changed so much. A strange smile haunted his face for a moment, then he shook his head at his ridiculous thoughts, and turned back to enter the castle.  
  
He was stopped by Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, and Sirius. All with demanding, angry expressions on their faces.  
  
"Uh, hi?" he tried. They were silent. "Um, if you don't mind, I need to go up to the Astronomy tower…" He started trying to edge around them. Bill stepped in front of him. Thor froze.  
  
"Thor," Sirius started dangerously. "Did you know before last night that you're some sort of a king?"  
  
"The Dragon King, you mean?" Thor queried. Sirius nodded. "Uh, well, I knew that there was a possibility. You see, there was this Prophecy, and –"  
  
"No," Ginny said curtly. "No, Thor. No excuses. Just – why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Thor stared at her thoughtfully for almost a whole minute before he answered. "Because it's very, very dangerous knowledge," he replied at last. "Or at least, it's less dangerous now, but it was incredibly dangerous before last night. If Voldemort, or many other people for that matter, had found out that I was very likely destined to be the next Dragon King, I would have been a target for dozens. I can't fight off an army by myself, and that's what I would have faced. Now, if Voldemort finds out that it's me, Draco will suffer for it. If Draco suffers, so will I, because of the bond that now holds us together."  
  
Ginny appeared a little stunned by his explanation, as did the other Weasleys, but Sirius stepped close to Thor, his grim expression replaced by one of inexplicable sadness.  
  
"You reminded me so much of James just then," he said softly. "It was almost as if…as if I wasn't the only one left of us Marauders."  
  
Thor blinked back tears. There was a sudden lump in his throat, and when Sirius hugged him tightly he put his arms around his godfather and hugged him back.  
  
"You're not the only one left," he muttered. "They're here, in us." Then he pulled back, a little embarrassed, and looked at the Weasleys. "I am sorry for not telling you," he said truthfully. "I really am."  
  
"That's alright, Thor," Charlie said quietly. 'We understand that you had your reasons, it was just a bit of a shock. I mean," he gave a laugh, "even with everything that's happened since you've arrived, most of us still think of you as that quiet sixth-year we last saw you as who told us everything."  
  
"Well," Thor demurred, his thoughts on Draco and his sixth-year crush on the Slytherin, "perhaps not everything." He shrugged at the twins' identical looks of interest. "Sorry, I have to go. I'm expected in the Astronomy tower to prepare for a war." And he moved out of reach of the Weasleys, into the castle.  
  
Zodiac was waiting for him at the foot of the Astronomy tower. "Do you need me up there, Thor?" he demanded nervously. Thor looked at him for a time, feeling a long moment of complete and utter peace within himself, then he half-smiled, and shook his head.  
  
"No, I'll be fine," he assured Zodiac. "Don't worry about me." Zodiac gazed at him for a second, then nodded slowly.  
  
"Alright," he agreed. "I'll try not to…my king." He turned away and soon disappeared around a corner, leaving Thor to walk up to the top of the Astronomy tower alone.  
  
When he reached the old Astronomy classroom, twelve Mages were waiting for him. They were sitting cross-legged in a circle. They had left a space for Thor, and now he sat down in it, completing the Circle. He looked around, carefully noting each Mage and which specialisation they stood for.  
  
"Thank you for coming," he said abruptly. "I need each of you to contact the beasts or beings of your specialisations to get a representative here by dawn tomorrow at the latest, and to ask them to prepare for war under the Dragon King."  
  
The Mages stared at him silently for a moment. Then several of them exchanged dubious glances, nodded, rose and silently left the classroom to contact the Basilisks, the Griffins, the Unicorns, the Dragons, and the Centaurs. The seven remaining Mages shifted uneasily.  
  
"I know your specialities aren't with beasts or beings," Thor assured them. "Mage Fior, contact as many sentient magical beasts as there are that can help in a battle, and bring them here." The Beast Mage nodded and followed her companions from the room. "I need you six to begin preparing the witches and wizards here for a Mage battle," he said seriously to the half dozen Mages still in the classroom. "Protect them with Heart and Soul Magics, put illusions on the ones that the enemy will most likely target – I'll tell you who in a minute, Mage Ivory. Put up personal shields around as many of them as you can. Get all the other Mages to help you – those who haven't specialised can help with most of your work."  
  
He looked at the two Mages who still had nothing left to do. "Mage Lupa, you and the other War Mages will be most help in the battle. Try and explain to the non-Mages exactly what kind of spells we'll be facing from Voldemort, and get the War Mages to talk to the non-Mages about the spells we can expect from the Death Eaters."  
  
Lastly he looked at Mage Arielle, a small woman whose delicate look deceived many. "Arielle, I want you to work with Professor Snape. He's making healing potions for the non-Mages, and I want you to put healing spells into them. That way they'll be effective on both Mages and non- Mages."  
  
He looked around once more. "Any questions? Except for Ivory, of course?"  
  
"No, no questions," Mage Lupa said with a grim smile. "Although I must say, War Mage Thor, I wish we'd met again under better circumstances." He rose, and then knelt. "It is a pleasure to serve you, my king." Then he, and the others, left the classroom. Only Mage Ivory remained.  
  
"Which people do you want me to put illusions on?" the Illusions Mage asked quietly. "It cannot be many, or the spells will not hold up."  
  
"Get the other Illusion Mages to help you," he told her bluntly. "The illusions *must* hold, or more people will die than necessary. Get apprentices to help you, if you need to, but the illusions must be in place when we go into battle." He met her eyes for a moment to ensure she understood; Ivory nodded. "I want illusions on Sirius Black, all the Weasleys, Hermione Granger, and Severus Snape. All of them, I imagine, will argue that it's unnecessary, but I'll speak to them about it. Do you understand?"  
  
Ivory nodded slowly again. "I understand," she agreed. "By the time we leave for the Dragon-realms, they will be under illusions, my king." She rose, bowed, and left the room swiftly. Thor, the only one left in the circle they had formed, stood up and shivered. There was a chill wind whistling through the Astronomy tower, and he didn't like it.  
  
He moved to the balcony, where he remembered yawningly sketching the stars with Ron and Hermione so many years ago…but it wasn't midnight now. It was a sunny afternoon, and his bones still ached with Draco's pain.  
  
"Don't worry, Draco," he whispered to the wind. "I'm coming. I'll be there soon."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
To be continued. 


	8. Resolves

Author's Notes: I apologise for the long delay, however chapter eight is finally finished. Thank you to all of you who have emailed me with encouragement! Also thank you to Rachel, who 'encouraged' me to not get up from my seat until the whole chapter was finished.  
  
Disclaimer: As in part one; everything you don't recognise from the books is mine.  
  
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It was dark by the time Thor managed to escape the dozens of representatives who had all arrived at Hogwarts soon after his summons. They had all flocked to him with offers of loyalty, servitude, and aid in his war against Voldemort..which had somehow become public knowledge. The rulers of all the magical beasts and beings had promised him the better parts of their armies in less than a day.  
  
Thor had graciously accepted all their offers of help, and fled as quickly as possible. This was one aspect of who he was now, he decided firmly, that he most definitely did not like. The afternoon's talks had not been helped by the fact that Zodiac had hung around looking as though he was trying not to laugh.  
  
Now, as the sun disappeared in the horizon and the Moon showed herself in the skies, Thor breathed a sigh of relief and slipped into the higher levels of the school, still trying to keep away from anyone who wanted him to do anything. He had, throughout the afternoon, felt horrifying jolts of pain, and now he wanted to try to send something back across his bond to Draco, to tell the Unicorn-born that they were coming soon.  
  
However it was not to be, as Thor discovered to his chagrin as he reached the old Transfiguration classroom. The entire Council of Mages had laid in wait for him, and now pounced, drawing him into the classroom and sitting him down firmly at a desk before he could object at all.  
  
"What?' he demanded irritably. "If you hadn't noticed, I've had a long afternoon." He glared around at the Council, daring them with his eyes to give him any bad news.  
  
"Yes," Zodiac agreed mildly. "I did warn the Council, Thor, but I'm afraid this is rather important." His eyes danced mischievously, but the angry, almost desperate look in Thor's eyes made him become sombre quickly. "It's about your coronation, Thor."  
  
Thor stared, unsure if he had actually heard Zodiac correctly. He blinked, and went over Zodiac's words in his mind. He blinked again. Then he raised his eyebrows curiously. "You actually think I'll agree to go through a coronation at a time like this?" he inquired, very interested in the reply.  
  
"You can't lead unless you're crowned," Coyote told him curtly. "You must have a coronation if you are to be crowned."  
  
Thor stared at him for a long moment, then laughed at him. When he finally regained control of himself, wiping tears from his eyes, he gasped, "Mother of dragons, you really are clueless, aren't you?"  
  
Coyote bristled in anger. "Excuse me?" he demanded stiffly.  
  
"I've already been accepted by the dragons," Thor said, deadly serious now. "That is all the crowning I need, Mage Coyote. And the coronation of the Dragon King cannot take place without the presence of the Unicorn-born of the Prophecy, who unfortunately happens to be Voldemort's captive right now - I believe you've seen him before. You know, my apprentice, Draco Malfoy." Thor shrugged a little. "Besides, coronations are pointless. I've already been accepted by the magical creatures and peoples, it's only the Mages and the Wizards who haven't formally accepted me. Everyone else is willing to go to war with me in two days." He rose from the desk. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and prepare war strategies. You know, so we can defeat Voldemort?"  
  
He stalked from the room with grace and purpose, leaving both Zodiac and Seraph to calm the agitated Council. They were, however, worried. Thor only got that sarcastic when he was either really angry or upset. They suspected that it was latter emotion that was causing the problem at the moment.  
  
They were right. Thor stormed through the castle, once more trying to find a place to attempt to contact Draco from. The only problem, he fumed to himself, was that because of the stupidity of the Council his connection with Draco had faded amongst his raging emotions.  
  
He stalked through the doorway to Draco's room; the door slammed behind him. With a sigh he dropped onto the bed. If he couldn't contact Draco now, he resolved, he would just have to wait until he was calmer. He stripped off his boots and closed his eyes as the last vestiges of sunlight left the room.  
  
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Draco lifted his head wearily, and spat at the red-haired man in front of him. Ron didn't even bother to wipe it away; he raised his fist and punched Draco's stomach. Draco jerked back, but the chains that he wore held him in place. Another two punches; Draco felt blood dribble down his chin from his mouth. Ron paused and regarded him grimly.  
  
"What?" Draco managed. "Can't take any more, Weasley? Doesn't really surprise me, you always were pathetic." Ron hissed in fury and kicked Draco's stomach. Draco mused with a small part of his mind that if he had eaten any breakfast, he wouldn't be able to keep it down. He slowly got his breath back.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted. "But then again, your master won't be best pleased if you kill me, will he? No, he needs me. Unlike you, you filthy traitor. You're entirely dispensable."  
  
"Shut it, Malfoy," Ron warned darkly. "My master may want you alive, but he said nothing about the condition you were to be in." He raised his fist again, and Draco winced in expectation.  
  
"No, Weasley," came a rasping voice from a darkened corner of the room. "As much as I enjoy watching you play out your old school rivalries, matters are swiftly coming to a head." Voldemort emerged from the shadows, his red eyes glinting. Ron bowed low, and Draco aimed a kick at the Death Eater's back that missed as Ron twisted away.  
  
"As I've said, Voldemort," Draco spat, "I'll tell you nothing. Not about Thor, not about the Dragon King - and not about me, either." Voldemort stepped closer to him and ran one long finger down his jaw.  
  
"You're talking a great deal," the older Mage said slowly. "But not about the right things." He stepped back, and Draco glared. "I want to know about the Dragon King, Draco, and his plans..and I am certain you know them."  
  
"I know nothing," Draco snapped. "Haven't you got that through your thick skull yet? Oh, I forgot - you don't have a brain, so you couldn't possibly comprehend such a simple fact."  
  
"Arrogance, Draco, will not be tolerated," Voldemort observed lazily, producing his wand. "I should have thought you had learnt that lesson by now. *Crucio*." Draco screamed as agony enveloped him; the pain lessened slightly, and he could feel waves of comfort through the bond he now shared with Thor. Then the curse was lifted, and he gasped for breath.  
  
"Well?" Voldemort demanded, looking thoroughly disgruntled. "Tell me why the Circle of Mages has gone to Hogwarts." Draco lifted his head and met Voldemort's eyes. "TELL ME, Malfoy!"  
  
"I - don't - know," Draco managed. "I don't know." He slumped against his chains. He didn't hear the curse; he only felt pain race through his body like fire.  
  
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Thor jerked awake, still screaming from Draco's pain. Someone was holding his shoulders; blindly he thrashed against whoever it was until a worried voice reached his ears.  
  
"Thor - Thor, it's only me," Zodiac soothed. Thor blinked up at the Mage. "Thor, what's wrong?"  
  
Thor shook his head, unable to speak. He took a deep breath, pushed Zodiac away, and then sat up. "Draco," he said hoarsely. "Voldemort is torturing Draco." He shivered. "And I'm sitting here, wasting time when I should be getting him out of there." He grabbed his boots and tugged them on angrily, then checked that his wand was in place at his belt.  
  
"Thor, calm down," Zodiac ordered him. Thor glanced up, his eyes flashing. "You can't help Draco if you go off half-cocked. Remember your lessons on attack strategy, for Dragons' sakes."  
  
"Make a plan, get necessary help, then execute the plan," Thor repeated tonelessly. Zodiac pulled him into his arms and hugged him gently. Thor sighed. "But..but I can feel what Draco's going through," he explained. "And I..I don't want him to suffer because of me. Too many people have suffered in my life because of me."  
  
"But it isn't your fault," Zodiac reminded Thor. "And you wouldn't be doing Draco any favours if you just rushed in. Voldemort would sense you the moment you entered the Dragon-realms, and would hurt Draco more - maybe even kill him. You know that."  
  
Thor closed his eyes. Zodiac was making sense, he knew, but he didn't like it. He took a deep breath, and stood up. "The representatives are all still here, aren't they?" he inquired. Zodiac silently nodded. "Good. I'll go talk to them now."  
  
'What about breakfast?" Zodiac reminded him. Thor turned, his eyes cold. "If Draco doesn't get breakfast," he said softly, "then neither do I." He left Draco's room, and began making his way through Hogwarts towards the entrance hall.  
  
He had almost made it when someone grabbed his shoulder, effectively halting him. Thor whipped around, his wand instantly in his hand, and had spoken half a curse when he realised who it was. He relaxed.  
  
"Sirius," he breathed. "Please don't sneak up on me like that."  
  
Sirius gave a small smile. "Sorry, Harry - uh, Thor. Sorry."  
  
Thor shrugged awkwardly. "I'd like for you to call me Harry," he admitted. "You - you're the closest thing to family I have, Sirius." Sirius regarded him for a moment, then hugged him. Thor relaxed for a moment, then pulled away. "Did you want something, Sirius? Only I need to go and talk to those representatives."  
  
"You were screaming, Harry," Sirius reminded him. "I imagine the whole castle heard it." Thor winced. "Was it that - that bond thing you have with Malfoy?" Thor nodded, and Sirius sighed. "Let me guess, you're going to tear off in a great hurry and try to rescue him?" Thor's mouth dropped open. Sirius grinned. 'I was your father's best friend, Harry, and you're just like him. Come on, the representatives are all in the entrance hall. I'll go down with you, I want breakfast." Thor nodded, and they continued down to the entrance hall. Sirius disappeared into the Great Hall to fill his stomach, and Thor surveyed the representatives of various species.  
  
Elves, Half-Elves, fairies, goblins, dwarfs, dryads, nymphs, sprites, a basilisk, a griffin, a chimaera and a unicorn all wandered about the entrance hall, creating the oddest group Thor had ever seen - and that, Thor smiled to himself, was saying something. The chimaera and the basilisk were keeping to themselves thankfully, but the other species were mixing together freely, despite any rivalries that existed between them. Thor chewed on his lip thoughtfully as he pondered what he was going to say to them - now that he was here, he really wasn't sure what the best course of action would be.  
  
Finally he cleared his throat. The conversations, in all languages, died down, and the beasts and beings turned to him with bows. Thor nodded to them all. Then he asked bluntly: "How soon can your armies be here?"  
  
There was some low muttering among the crowd, then a dwarf stepped forward. "I think I'm right in sayin' that most of 'em could be 'ere by tomorrow mornin', sire," he observed. "Might I ask why you want to know?"  
  
Thor regarded the dwarf calmly. "Assuming the armies arrive by tomorrow morning, we will go into battle tomorrow at noon." He looked around at the others. "Does anyone have anything to say about this?" Again there was low muttering. Thor glanced around at them all; none met his eyes except the Half-Elf representative, who stepped out of the crowd.  
  
"Sire," he began delicately. "Might I inquire as to this sudden haste, if it would not be too bold? It will take some time for our armies to coordinate - surely it would be better to delay the beginning of the battle until we are sure how well the armies will work together?"  
  
Thor sighed inwardly at the etiquette of Half-Elves that prevented the Half- Elf in front of him from saying that he thought it was a stupid idea. Now he carefully shaped his words to be indirect enough so that the Half-Elf wouldn't find them offensive, but clear enough that everyone else would get the message.  
  
In the end he gave up and settled for bluntness, hoping the Half-Elves wouldn't be too upset. "Draco Malfoy is a prisoner of Voldemort, and he must be retrieved. Also, all of Britain has been enslaved to this Mage, and I find this completely unacceptable. I believe that we can coordinate the armies in time - and I fully intend to end the imprisonment of Britain by this time in two days." He paused, and looked around again. "Any more questions?"  
  
"I have one," came a familiar voice from behind Thor. Thor didn't turn; Coyote walked around him until they were facing. "How do you propose to enter the Dragon-realms with a group of magical beasts and beings and go to wherever Mage Voldemort happens to be without attracting his attention? For that matter, how do you propose freeing an entire country in one day?"  
  
Thor raised one eyebrow. "You will find out with everyone else, Mage Coyote," he replied coolly, "in ten minutes, by the lake so the Mer- representative may attend. Perhaps, if you have any specific questions, you would be civil enough to address them to me in private." He met Coyote's eyes; a battle of wills took place. Finally Coyote turned away. Thor nodded, satisfied, and looked back at the representatives. "As I said to Mage Coyote, there will be council in ten minutes at the furthest edge of the lake to discuss the plan for battle. I would be most grateful if you could all give me a specific time of arrival of your armies then." He looked back at Coyote. "Mage Coyote, a word, please."  
  
He whirled and strode towards a small room that lay off to the side of the entrance hall, certain that Coyote was following him. Once the other Mage was inside, Thor closed the door and rounded furiously on him.  
  
"You had no right to question me out there," he said sharply. "You may not like me, Coyote, and Dragons know that I don't like you, but if I don't have your cooperation in this there's no way I can succeed."  
  
"I disagree," Coyote snapped. "I have every right to question you, Thor - or is it your majesty now? You say you are the Dragon King, but you have no proof of your claim, even if it is taken for granted by everyone else. You are as you always have been; too sure of your own abilities to think about the danger your actions put the rest of the world in; too arrogant to survive long in this world, or any other. You can't see past your own emotions - can't see past your apprentice to what would be best for the whole world!"  
  
He stopped, catching his breath, and Thor raised his eyebrows. "Are you quite finished?" he inquired. "Because quite frankly, Coyote, I don't care what you think, since almost all of your opinions are based on prejudice and jealousy, and I don't really want to hear it. If you don't trust the Mages under your guidance as to my right to claim the Dragon King's throne, perhaps you'd like to take it up with the Dragons - you trust their word, don't you, Coyote?" There was a dangerous glint in Thor's eye; he was fed up with dealing with Coyote, and he didn't mind letting Coyote know it.  
  
Finally Thor sighed. "Look, Coyote, I don't want to fight you. May I count on having the Circle's help, or must I change my plans?"  
  
Coyote shook his head. "I know I can't stop you," he muttered. "You have the Circle's help..even if I do not trust you as far as I can throw you."  
  
Unexpectedly, Thor smiled. "No more do I trust you," he revealed. "And I'm glad we understand each other. Now I'd better get to the lake - are you coming?"  
  
"I'm going to talk to your Professor Dumbledore first," Coyote told him. "The Wizards still haven't produced a representative."  
  
"Not surprising, considering most of them are in work camps," Thor reminded him, raking a hand through his hair. "Try not to take too long?" He turned and left the room, aware that Coyote was glaring at him. He smiled slightly. He did enjoy getting Coyote flustered, although, he reminded himself with a sigh, it wasn't really the sort of thing a king should do.  
  
A ghost of pain hit his chest, and he faltered for a moment on the front steps of the castle, taking several deep breaths. He closed his eyes for a second, then glanced up at the sky as an owl came towards him with a screech. He instinctively ducked, but grabbed the parchment that the owl dropped to him. He frowned at the seal. A black snake twisted around a black skull. Now he thought about it, he remembered seeing that sign in one of his books when he had still been a Mage apprentice. It was the sign of a Mage who had gone insane years before Voldemort had even been born.  
  
"Ironic," Thor muttered, and opened the letter. He quickly read it, and then pursed his lips thoughtfully. He raised his eyes to Hermione, who was standing at the bottom of the steps.  
  
"Who's it from?" she inquired quietly.  
  
"Voldemort," Thor said lazily. "He seems to think that by threatening me with Draco's death, he will force me into giving myself up to him." He scrunched the parchment into a ball, threw it into the air and set it alight. "I think his years of evil have turned him absolutely insane. I know he won't kill Draco, because if he does that I won't have any incentive to go after him," he explained on her inquisitive look. "So his threat is pointless. Are you coming down to the lake?"  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows at the complete change of subject, then nodded. "Professor Dumbledore appointed me as the wizard representative," she informed him. "Much to the disapproval of certain Potions Masters, but I daresay he'll live."  
  
Thor smiled slightly. "Oh, I'm sure he will," he agreed dryly. 'We've done much worse to him, after all." He descended the steps, and together they walked down to the lake, where the representatives were all waiting. A merman bobbed his head out of the water as Thor approached.  
  
Thor sat down, indicated for the others to do so, and then began outlining his plan.  
  
"The armies will be split up into dozens, if not hundreds, or smaller groups," he started. "Each group will have a member of each species' army; possibly several, depending on numbers. The Mage and wizard or witch of each group will Apparate the group to set locations around Britain - the main work camps and London - and free the wizards, witches and non-magical people there. Death Eaters should be killed or captured; whatever happens, don't let any get free." He paused to let this sink in. "A larger group, probably mostly Mages and wizards, will go to the Dragon-realms. We know Voldemort doesn't have a large force there, thanks to the Mages who have been scrying, so we won't need many. We will capture or kill any Death Eaters, retrieve Draco Malfoy, and, if possible, bring the Mage Voldemort back into this realm for justice."  
  
He leant back on his arms, waiting the uproar he knew would come. For a long moment, there was silence. Then a dryad exhaled loudly.  
  
"You're crazy," she said bluntly. "Your majesty, you are absolutely crazy." Thor grinned, and she proceeded to explain exactly why he was crazy.  
  
It took several long hours for Thor to persuade and cajole all the beasts and beings that his plan was actually the most sensible course of action and had the least risk of loss of life. It took several more hours for him to then explain to Zodiac, Seraph, Sirius and Hermione exactly why he had to face Voldemort alone, even though he had told the representatives that he would bring back Voldemort for justice.  
  
"I just don't understand, Thor!" Seraph exclaimed at last, when the sun was directly above them in the sky. "I don't understand why it is you hate this man so much that you're determined to destroy him - it just isn't like you!"  
  
"No," Thor said quietly, exhausted from talking. "No, it isn't like me. But Voldemort destroyed my life, Seraph. He took my parents, my home, my friends, and now he's taken my apprentice and my love. He has gone too far, and he will pay for that." He glanced up at the other three. "Look, I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I'm not giving you any choice. Voldemort and I need a confrontation - it's what always happens between us. You know that as well as I do."  
  
He was about to say more, he cut himself off and shook his head silently.  
  
"Harry," Hermione sighed, "You're right, I don't like it. But..but you're going to do it anyway. Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. "Just.just keep safe, 'Mione. All of you.just keep safe." He lifted his face to the sky. I'm nearly coming, Draco, his mind whispered. Just a few more hours.  
  
In the Dragon-realms, chained to the wall, a slow smile spread across Draco's face in the darkness. "A few more hours," he muttered. "Just a few more hours." He closed his eyes, and drifted into an uneasy sleep that was disturbed with dreams of unicorns and dragons battling together.  
  
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	9. An Ending

Author's Notes: I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to get this chapter out, but I was struck down by the dreaded plague of writer's block. But it has passed, so here is the chapter. Hopefully chapter ten won't take so long to write, but I'm nearing the end of this fic now. Many thanks to Roz, Rachel and Lauren for persuading me to keep writing instead of chucking the whole computer out of the window.  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer: none of it is mine if you recognise it.  
  
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The rest of the day had passed swiftly, and Thor had spent the night tossing and turning in his bed. With dawn had come the armies of a dozen magical beasts and beings, and Thor had spent the past two hours helping to divide the armies into hundreds of smaller groups. Now, finally, they were ready to leave Hogwarts for battle.  
  
As the separate groups assembled on the grass in front of Hogwarts, Thor lay on an old, disused bed in a room he hadn't returned to in the few weeks he had been at the castle. His eyes were closed; he breathed in a decade's worth of dust. Heavy red curtains around the bed were bound back against the posts of the four-poster bed. The windows of the room had all been flung open, so a gentle breeze brushed over Thor. He knew that he would be missed, that the armies were ready to go. He knew that Draco needed him - he knew that he needed Draco, but in this moment of time, he ignored all of that.  
  
The door of the Gryffindor dormitory, that had last been used for third year boys, swung open, and Thor opened his eyes to see Hermione move towards him and sit on the bed. For a long moment there was a comfortable silence.  
  
"I miss those times, 'Mione," he said finally. "It was so simple back then. You, me and Ron, having fun, going to lessons, losing points, talking to Hagrid..." He sighed. "I miss Hagrid so much. He was my first friend."  
  
"We all miss him," Hermione said quietly. "And I know what you mean - I miss those times too. Although I'm not so sure that they were simple."  
  
"Simpler than now," he reminded her. "Now there's so much to complicate things." He sat up and met her eyes. "Hermione...I love you. You know that, right?"  
  
She smiled slightly. "I know, Harry. I love you too. Now come on, everyone's waiting for you."  
  
"Hmm." Thor stretched. "Has Mage Ivory talked to you and the others yet?" She grimaced. "Good. Has she put illusions on you already, or will they be done once we enter the Dragon-realms?"  
  
"They've already been put on us," Hermione told him. "She said that they'll activate once we enter the Dragon-realms. Harry, why didn't you ask for an illusion to be put on Dumbledore as well?"  
  
"Because putting illusions on nine people simultaneously would be too much for the Illusion Mages," he explained. "Besides, Dumbledore would never agree to it." He grinned, although the humour didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not stupid enough to try it. At least, not yet."  
  
"Of course," she said wryly. "Come on, Harry Potter. Let's go." She rose, and he followed her down to the unused common room. He paused with one foot through the portrait hole, and gazed around at what had once been his home. A small smile flitted onto his face.  
  
"I wonder," he said softly to the ghosts of the past, "what would have happened had the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin." Don't think about it, he admonished himself. Don't think about anything except getting Draco back.  
  
When he reached the lawn, the group that would be going with him to the Dragon-realms turned towards him. Dumbledore, Sirius, Snape, all the Weasleys, Hermione, Mages Zodiac and Seraph, three unicorns - who had apparently decided that they needed to meet Draco - a Half-Elf and a sprite would apparently be coming with him, and he met all of their gazes with a little trepidation.  
  
Then he looked towards the thousands of creatures assembled before him. Slowly, his fingers curled around his wand, and he raised it, then muttered a spell under his breath that until a few moments before he had had no knowledge of. A stream of silvery mist shot out of his wand; it swirled higher and higher in the sky, then grew and became opaque as it coalesced into the form of a soaring dragon. As all of Hogwarts watched the silvery dragon, Thor murmured another word. The silvery mist was shed like a skin from the real, gold-green dragon that burst from it. Thor watched with a small smile as the dragon circled in the air, then flew in low over the armies towards him. He ducked as the dragon breathed fire at him, then landed with half a foot of space between them.  
  
'I can carry only half your party, my king,' the dragon warned him. 'Will you have two journeys, or shall I call another of my kindred?' Thor glanced back at his group. 'Can you call another?' he said finally. 'We need to be there quickly.'  
  
The dragon nodded, then lifted his head and screeched. Thor turned back to his group as he waited for the second dragon.  
  
"He's fetching another," he explained. "So we can all go together. Professor Dumbledore, could you please signal to the armies that it's time for them to go? Thanks." He turned back to the dragon and the female who had joined him. 'Can we go?'  
  
'Yes,' the female confirmed. 'I will take the red-haired people and the Mages. The unicorns can find their own way.'  
  
'I suppose that means I get the others,' the original dragon said gloomily. 'How is it you always get first choice, Selysyma-rytekvia?' Thor looked away towards the rapidly disappearing groups and hid a smile. These dragons were barely five centuries old, and it showed in the way they talked, especially Selysyma-rytekvia.  
  
"Right," he exhaled. "All the Weasleys, and Zodiac and Seraph, Selysyma- rytekvia will take you." He gestured to the female, and the seven men and women moved to her - Charlie could scarcely conceal his excitement, which Thor found amusing. He looked back at the others. "The rest of you will come with me on the other dragon," he explained. They moved to the male dragon, and he looked at the unicorns. "You can find your own way there, and meet us in the Dragon-realms?"  
  
"Yes," one of the three answered in her own tongue. "We will meet you in the Dragon-realms when you arrive." Together, the unicorns turned and walked away, disappearing before they had left his earshot. Thor returned to the dragons, climbed up to sit just in front of his wings, and leant forward.  
  
'Thank you for doing this,' he said gravely. 'I am aware that the Dragons have no wish to get involved in this war.'  
  
'No thanks are necessary, my King,' the dragon told him brusquely, following his companion into the skies and beginning to weave around her in the spell that would take them all safely to the Dragon-realms. 'We do this as a personal favour to - ' He hesitated, but Thor knew the name he would not say.  
  
'She asked you to come?' he demanded swiftly, as the magics around them swirled and pressed into his skin, and they began to cross the barrier between the realms. 'Will I see her again?'  
  
The dragon did not answer for several minutes, too busy concentrating on the powerful spell he was weaving, then finally he shook his green head. 'No, my King. You will not. She told me to tell you that when you have the Crown, she will visit you, and not before.'  
  
Thor put out of his mind what he could not fathom, and looked around in appreciation as the two dragons burst through the barrier into the pearly skies of the Dragon-realms. He heard gasps of wonder behind him, and he allowed himself a grin. He himself had only been into this realm three times, and although that was more than most others, he knew he would never feel any less awestruck when he came here.  
  
The Dragon-realms were beautiful, for lack of a better term. The earth below them was mountainous, interspersed with lush green valleys and wide blue rivers. It stretched for as far as the eye could see, and farther. There were few clouds in a sky that was pearly white in colour. Dragons were visible everywhere.  
  
Thor twisted around to see towards the east, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. A dark smudge on the skyline showed him where Voldemort and Draco were, and it took only a moment for the dragons to see it too.  
  
'It has been there for many days,' Selysyma-rytekvia observed, unusually grave for her age. 'The Elders don't like to talk about it, and we aren't allowed to go there anymore. Ygrivaine-Morpugra told us that you would do something about it, only Lyli-"  
  
'Hush,' snapped the dragon Thor rode on. 'Don't be stupid.' The dragons both fell silent, and began winging their way towards the east, and the dark smudge that indicated a pollution of the purity that was the Dragon- realms.  
  
"Thor!" Zodiac called from the other dragon after a while. "Do you actually have any plan for when we get there?" Thor glanced over at his old teacher, a small smile on his face.  
  
"Oh yes," he called back. "I plan to brutally kill Voldemort. That all right by you?" Zodiac grinned, and resumed his conversation with Seraph. Thor looked behind him as Sirius touched his shoulder. "You alright, Sirius?"  
  
"Oh, it's not so different from motorcycles and hippogriffs," Sirius replied wryly. His illusion, Thor noted absently, had been activated, and he now looked like a short, fair-haired man, strongly reminding Thor of Peer Pettigrew. "I just wanted to make sure you're not going to get yourself killed," Sirius continued.  
  
"Oh, I don't think Draco would forgive me if I did," Thor smiled, a trifle bitterly. "Don't worry, I have every intention of coming out of this alive." He slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered the small vial of Veritaserum that Snape hid given to him earlier, and lost himself for a moment in his thoughts.  
  
He shook himself as the pearly sky gave way to darkness. It was worse than night, for no stars shone down on them, and Thor shivered involuntarily before leaning to the side and searching the ground below them for any sign of Voldemort.  
  
They flew for minutes on end, the darkness subduing the entire group into silence. Finally Fred - or possibly George, Thor couldn't tell which at that distance - gave a triumphant yell. "Thor, down there!" Thor craned his neck around to see where George - or Fred - was pointing, and smiled. Several small lights were visible on the ground below them.  
  
"You lot land down there," he called, loud enough so that everyone could hear. "Take out the Death Eaters - and remember what I said. Kill them if you have to. I'll meet you down there."  
  
"Thor, what are you doing?" Zodiac demanded, but Thor only flashed him a grin before unsteadily rising to his feet on the scales of the dragon, and leaping clear. He could hear screams from the people on the dragons who seemed higher and higher now, but he ignored them as he twisted his body into a dive, his arms stretched below his head, which he bent forward to make himself as streamlined as possible. He muttered a quick incantation under his breath, and he quickly knew how far it was to the ground.  
  
He waited until he was only a few metres from the ground, then he twisted his body again, cast a levitation spell, and gently landed on his feet on the rocky earth. He crouched quickly, pressing as close to the ground as he could, and looked carefully about.  
  
"If this is what it's going to be like, it should be easy," he muttered, raising his eyebrows. There was absolutely nobody in sight, even through the window of the building he could see several metres away. He made a symbol in the air and cast an invisibility charm on himself, and as an afterthought added a shielding spell.  
  
Walking easily now towards the building, he peered through the window to see inside. He bit down hard on his lip to keep from making any sound when he saw Ron laughing with several other men and women who he didn't know. He moved quickly on to the next building, and again looked through the window into the well-lit room.  
  
"Jackpot," he muttered with a small smile. He could see Draco, huddled in a corner with chains around his wrists and ankles. Thor couldn't see Voldemort, but that didn't mean that he wasn't there. Thor pulled out his wand, and edged around the building, trying to find the door. It was on the third side he came to, and it was not locked, so Thor pushed it open, and slipped inside.  
  
Draco looked up sharply, searching the air, and Thor remembered with a start that he was invisible.  
  
"Who's there?" Draco demanded sharply. "Show yourself." Thor smiled, and took off the invisibility spell without speaking. Draco's eyes lit up. "Harry," he breathed. "You came."  
  
"Hush," Thor told him, careful to keep his voice quiet. "You knew I would." He crossed the room and knelt by Draco, quickly examining the chains. "Are you alright?" he tapped the heavy locks with his wand, and the chains fell away with a clunk.  
  
"As well as can be expected," Draco murmured. "But Harry, he knows you're coming, he's waiting for you..."  
  
'Good," Thor said curtly. "I need to have a little chat with him." He helped Draco to stand, and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Dragons, Draco, you don't look good."  
  
Draco managed a lopsided smile. "You don't look so good yourself," he pointed out wearily. 'What have you been doing?"  
  
"Oh, you know," Thor shrugged. "Trying to get myself killed, being proclaimed Dragon King, the usual." He slipped an arm around Draco to hold him up. "Now come on, I'll get you to the dragons - or maybe the unicorns are here by now, they'd be able to look after you better whilst I find our mutual acquaintance Voldemort, and beat the living daylights out of him."  
  
"Do you know," Draco began conversationally, as Thor helped him towards the door, "I have never seen you this intent on something."  
  
"He's never taken my love before," Thor said without thinking. He met Draco's eyes and blushed. He opened his mouth to say something, but Draco lifted his hand and traced Thor's jaw line.  
  
"Don't apologise," Draco said softly. "Don't apologise." Thor frowned faintly, but nodded. Their silence was broken by a shriek from someone nearby.  
  
"We'd better get out of here," Thor muttered. "Come on." He helped Draco towards the door, only to freeze when someone pushed the door open and stepped into the building. Draco gave a low cry and backed away, leaving Thor and Voldemort face to face, barely two feet apart from each other.  
  
"I've been waiting for you, War Mage Thor," Voldemort said slowly, taking a deliberate step closer to Thor, who narrowed his eyes. "I must say, you recovered your control faster than I anticipated.although you took longer to get here than I had expected."  
  
"I'm surprised you and your Death Eaters haven't been ejected from the Dragon-realms," Thor commented. "Dragons, as you should know, do not take kindly to strangers in their land."  
  
"Aren't you and your motley collection of idiots strangers also?" Voldemort countered. "I wonder how long it will be before you are 'ejected'."  
  
A strange smile flickered onto Thor's face. "Didn't you hear?" he inquired with delight. "the dragons wouldn't kick me out, not before, and most certainly not now."  
  
Voldemort's eyes flickered. "Indeed," he murmured. "I had suspected as much." He glanced at Draco, who was edging towards the door, then he looked back at Thor. "And it certainly explains some things."  
  
"Really?" Thor said, trying to keep Voldemort distracted whilst Draco eased himself out of the door. "Well, as much as I should probably ask what all those things are, I'm not going to. I'm actually a little bored of you, Voldemort. You've fucked up my life several times, and I'm here to make sure you can't do it again."  
  
"You think you can?" Voldemort sneered. Thor's eyes flickered, and a moment later the walls around them exploded; the roof disintegrated into a fine dust that covered the two Mages.  
  
"I don't think I can," Thor said, his voice deathly cool. "I know I can."  
  
And then the area around them for about fifty metres seemed to explode. Draco, scrambling to escape with a broken arm and, he thought, a broken ankle, barely managed to escape the danger of their fully-fledged Mage battle before he collapsed against a rock face. Someone grabbed his shoulder, and he flinched away.  
  
"It's alright," a familiar voice soothed. 'It's me, Draco." Draco looked up at Zodiac, and exhaled. "Is Thor in that?" Zodiac demanded.  
  
"Yes," Draco breathed. "Harry, and Volde-Voldemort." His head fell back, and he closed his eyes so that he couldn't see the flashes of light, dust and magic that emanated from Thor and Voldemort. "He...he..."  
  
"Draco, don't even try to speak," Zodiac chastised him. "Don't worry, Thor can handle himself. All the other Death Eaters have been captured or killed." He looked up over the rock that Draco was leaning against. "Everyone's fine, don't worry about us."  
  
"I'm not," Draco rasped. "Too tired. Harry?"  
  
"I can't see yet," Zodiac told him. "Look, I've got to go and check on the others, you stay here." He disappeared before Draco could stop him, and the young Mage-in-training was left alone to watch the results of the fight. A flash of green made him wince; that particular colour was only used by the killing curse.  
  
Something nudged his arm, and he blinked wearily at the beautiful beast that stood next to him. The horse-like creature nudged him again with its nose, then lay down next to Draco. Draco realised that it was a unicorn when a huge wave of peace was over him. He stretched out his arm - the one that wasn't broken - and carefully touched the unicorn's horn. His hand moved down, to gently stroke the unicorn, who was watching him intently, as if waiting for him to say something.  
  
"Oh," he sighed at last. "I hope Harry's alright." And then he lapsed into unconsciousness.  
  
More than an hour later, Thor pulled himself up from a roll and faced Voldemort again.  
  
"Getting tired, Harry?" Voldemort taunted. "How glorious it will be to deprive the world of a king just when they've found one."  
  
"You wish," Thor bit off, brandishing his wand again. "I was about to ask you the same thing - it's a pity you're so old, *Tom*, it isn't doing you any favours." He made a symbol in the air with his wand, and Voldemort was blasted backwards through the air. Thor took a few steps towards him, then thought better of it and levitated himself.  
  
He was, he had to admit to himself, getting a little desperate. Avada Kedavra had no effect on Voldemort, but he hadn't really expected it to. And although he was no longer bound by the Circle rule of not killing other Mages, Thor really didn't want to kill if he didn't have to - and that personal directive included Voldemort. What he needed to do now was find some way of destroying Voldemort without actually killing him.  
  
And that, Thor reflected absently as he leapt to one side to avoid a curse, was not going to be easy. Voldemort continued to send curses and hexes to him, but so far he hadn't used any physical attacks, and gradually a pan began to form itself in Thor's mind.  
  
One hand still gripped his wand, but the other slipped down to his waist and pulled out his dagger. It was, he realised, the dagger that had been given to him by a dragon, the one that Draco had commented on so many days ago. It was strangely fitting. His eyes fixed on Voldemort, who hadn't taken his eyes from the younger Mage.  
  
"You can't win," Thor told his enemy calmly, moving closer. "I'm more powerful than you are, and I can tell that you know it." He gestured to the rubble around them. "This fight...it's all about appearances, isn't it? It's all about Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, fighting from my birth to your death."  
  
"Are you so sure it won't be your death?" Voldemort sneered.  
  
"Oh yes," Thor nodded, moving still closer. "I don't have any doubts that I will be the one to walk away from here, from this moment. Why, do you?"  
  
Voldemort snarled, and raised his wand, his mouth forming the words of another curse. Thor didn't waste any time. He pushed himself forward into a dive, the dagger raised and ready. He reached Voldemort, pushed him to the ground, knocked his wand from his hand, and plunged the dagger deep.  
  
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Blood...there was blood everywhere, and Thor realised that he was lying in a pool of it. He lifted himself up by his arms, but collapsed again, exhausted.  
  
Something - someone - turned him over, and he blinked wearily up into the scaled, long face of a dragon. A small smile ghosted across his face.  
  
'You came,' he whispered. 'They said...they said you wouldn't.'  
  
'I came,' the dragon confirmed. 'My poor child...you did what was right, and you will be the better for it.' Thor reached up a hand to touch her black scales, and frowned faintly. 'No, don't think about it,' she advised him. 'It will come easier when you are rested, and with Draco again.'  
  
'You know about him...how?' Thor asked distractedly. 'No, stupid question,' he muttered, anticipating her reply. 'I...the dagger...'  
  
'Will be cleaned and returned to you, little King,' she promised him. 'I will tell you again, do not worry.'  
  
Thor relaxed for a moment, then another thought entered his head, and again he tried to lift himself up. 'Draco - is he alright? I have to get to him...'  
  
'Hush,' the dragon said, exasperated. 'All is well, except for you. And all you need is rest, your Unicorn-born, and several days of peace. Be still and silent, my little dragon.'  
  
'Yes, Mother,' he murmured obediently, already beginning to fall asleep. 'But I...but Draco...'  
  
"Thor! Thor? Harry?"  
  
The dragon nuzzled him gently. 'They come for you, Harry. I will see you soon.'  
  
'Promise?' Thor demanded.  
  
'I promise, my child.'  
  
He slept.  
  
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	10. Waking and Walking

Author's Notes: I don't think I've ever had as many reviews pleading for me to continue as I did for chapter nine - thank you, everyone, and don't worry, there is still more to come. Only (wince) one or two chapters at the most, however.  
  
Disclaimer: As part one: none of it is mine if you recognise it.  
  
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Thor experimentally tried wriggling the fingers of his left hand. It worked, so he tried the same with his right hand. Without opening his eyes, he frowned. There was something lying on his right arm, and he didn't know what.  
  
So he opened his eyes, and blinked as he realised instantly where he was. He had been in here one too many times, in his opinion, and he always knew where he was by the lone, thin, jagged crack in the ceiling that seemed to mock the scar on his forehead.  
  
"You're awake."  
  
Thor lifted his head, wincing against the bright daylight that streamed in through the open windows of the ward, and nodded to Sirius.  
  
"Yeah," he said, a little hoarsely. "I guess so." He looked down to see what was lying on his arm, and relaxed. It was Draco, fast asleep and looking much better than when Thor had last seen him. He rested his head against Draco's, and smiled. He heard Sirius coming closer, and felt the bed shift as his godfather sat down.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked gently.  
  
Thor considered. "Alright," he said finally. "All things taken into account." He frowned again. "How long have I been in here?"  
  
"Two days," Sirius replied quietly. "You missed a lot."  
  
Thor didn't want to think about that. "Mm," he agreed neutrally. A thought struck him. "Is everyone alright? What were the casualties?"  
  
"Not bad," Sirius assured him. "Don't worry about it now, Harry. Wait until you feel better." He smoothed Thor's hair back from his eyes. "Wait until tomorrow," he finished.  
  
Thor nodded, and quickly fell asleep again.  
  
He was woken several hours later, when the Moon had just risen, by the sounds of an argument raging around him, and by Draco burrowing his head in the pillow.  
  
"Draco," Thor whispered. Draco lifted his head, and green eyes met silver. "What are they doing?"  
  
"Arguing about you and me," Draco said simply. "Are you okay?" Thor nodded, and opened his mouth to ask something. "I'm fine," Draco anticipated him. "I wasn't that badly injured anyway." Thor snorted, and turned his attention to the argument that was raging around them. Zodiac, Sirius, Hermione, Coyote, Snape and Seraph were all apparently yelling at each other as loud as they could. Fred and George were both attempting to drag Ginny away from trying to throttle Snape, and Dumbledore was sitting in the middle of it all, happily ignoring everyone as he talked to a Half- Elf.  
  
"Half of them want you to start being the King thingy straight away," Draco informed him in a muted voice. "The others say that you've had enough and need some decent time to rest."  
  
"Personally, I say that it's not up to any of us," Thor murmured. Dragons whispered in his mind, and for once he actually listened to what they were telling him. A small smile lit up his eyes. "Come on, Draco. There's someone special I want you to meet."  
  
Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Draco did as Thor told him and slid out of the bed. All eyes instantly turned towards them, and Thor stood up and stretched languidly.  
  
"Morning," he said cheerfully. "I don't suppose anyone knows where my uniform is?"  
  
"Thor, you're awake!" Zodiac exclaimed with relief, turning away from Coyote. "Perhaps you can talk some sense into Coyote!"  
  
"I would have thought that you'd come to grips with the fact that talking sense into Coyote would be an impossible task," Thor observed, a twinkle in his eyes. "What's the problem? And, clothes?" Seraph, with a small smile, passed his uniform and a uniform for Draco; Thor drew the curtains and they swiftly dressed.  
  
"I was merely observing to Mage Zodiac that now you have your apprentice back you will have no objections to taking up your *complete* role as Dragon King," Coyote said cuttingly. "Or perhaps that is too much to ask?"  
  
Thor tugged on his second boot and angrily pulled the curtain back. "Kindly refer to him as War Mage Zodiac," he snapped. "That is his title. And what on earth do you mean by 'complete role', Coyote? Please tell me what you know of such things anyway."  
  
"I know that a King cannot put personal preferences in front of the good of the world," Coyote retorted. "Any simpleton knows that."  
  
"Any simpleton," Thor hissed, "would know that Draco is not merely my apprentice, he is part of the Prophecy. And who are you to tell me what to do? I answer to one being in this world, and one being only." He glared at Coyote for long moments, then he glanced out of the hospital wing, and looked back at Draco, who was alternatively looking at Coyote and Thor. "Come on," Thor said quietly. "Let's go. She's here."  
  
"Who is?" Seraph wanted to know.  
  
Thor gave a grin suddenly, a reckless grin that Draco hadn't seen since they were both at school. "The Mother," he told his fellow Mage. "She's brought me back my dagger."  
  
Not being able to use the curse that he normally would on hearing such astonishing news, Zodiac settled for "Bloody hell." Thor shrugged, grabbed Draco's hand, and tugged him out of the medical ward, ignoring Hermione's protests.  
  
"Harry, slow down!" Draco admonished. 'What's the rush? Who is this...Mother?"  
  
Thor paused. "Oh. I'd forgotten that you don't know about her yet." He chewed on his bottom lip. "Well, the short version is that she's the Mother of all Dragons and Mages. The long version is very, very long, and you'll learn it when I eventually get around to finishing teaching you." He met Draco's eyes, and again felt his cheeks heat up. Then he glanced away, and continued pulling Draco through the corridors.  
  
The Mother of all Dragons was waiting for them by the lake. Next to her stood a unicorn, and Draco somehow knew that this unicorn was the ruler of all unicorns. He turned to Thor questioningly.  
  
"It's all to do with who we are now," Thor murmured, not taking his eyes from the Mother. "The Change took place, so we'll have knowledge of things that we didn't have before."  
  
"Great," Draco muttered. "Like my life isn't already confusing enough." Thor looked quizzically at him, and a smile tugged at Draco's mouth for a moment before he leaned in and kissed Thor.  
  
A thousand thoughts whirled through Thor's head, but before he could do anything except stand there, Draco had pulled back, and moved to greet the unicorn. Thor gaped, his mouth hanging open, blinking rapidly.  
  
'Dear child,' the Mother began affectionately, stretching out her neck so she was closer to him, 'close your mouth.' Thor obeyed, and propelled himself closer to her. He leaned into her, and frowned.  
  
"You can't just do that to a person, Draco," he complained. Draco, who seemed to be talking to the unicorn, looked up and shrugged.  
  
"I just did," he pointed out. "So are you going to introduce me?" He glanced pointedly at the Mother. "I think I can speak dragon-tongue now."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised," Thor said dryly. "Well, we can but try." He looked up at the huge dragon. 'My Mother, this is Draco, my apprentice and the Unicorn-born of the Prophecy.' He looked at Draco. "Did you understand?" Draco nodded silently. 'Draco, this is the Mother.'  
  
Draco bowed, instinct obviously dictating his actions, and he approached Thor and the Mother.  
  
'I am honoured,' the Mother said gravely to Draco. 'But do not bow to me, little unicorn.'  
  
'Why not?" Draco inquired, making Thor choke back a laugh. The Mother gave Thor a lazy look.  
  
'It is reasonable question,' she reprimanded him, 'since you have not yet taught him about such matters. No, I know you have not had nearly enough time,' she overruled his protests. 'Hush now, little one. Let the unicorn child and I talk.'  
  
Suitably chastised, Thor pulled himself away from the Mother and went to talk to the unicorn. Draco watched them for a moment - the unicorn appeared to be telling Thor off - before looking back at the Mother.  
  
'He can be very stubborn,' the Mother remarked as Draco scrutinised her. 'Much like yourself.'  
  
'How do you know?" Draco asked wonderingly. 'You don't even know me.'  
  
'How do you know my language?' she inquired in return. 'How do you know anything in your soul, Draco? You and I are not as alike as you and your unicorns are, but we are still connected intrinsically, by ancient powers that reach further back in time than you could imagine, powers that stretch before magic, before knowledge and wisdom, when there was only serenity and sharing.'  
  
'It sounds like it was a wonderful time,' Draco whispered, a trace of bitterness in his voice. 'I wish I knew that serenity.'  
  
"You will," Thor said firmly, coming up behind Draco and speaking in English so that the Mother couldn't understand and embarrass him. "Don't worry, you will." He looked up at the Mother, an oddly calculating look on his face. 'What is it? There's something you want to tell me, I know it.'  
  
'Curious little dragon,' the Mother observed. 'But your troubles are not yet over.' A strange look entered Thor's eyes, and Draco shivered involuntarily. 'Here is your dagger,' the Mother added, nudging forward the dwarf-wrought dagger with her claws. Thor bent to pick it up, but he didn't put it in its sheath. 'Try to be more careful with it next time,' the Mother admonished a little, but both Thor and Draco could tell that she didn't mean it. 'And now I must leave. The Dragon-realms are still recovering from Voldemort, and I am needed.' She lowered her head so that Thor could touch her; he pressed his cheek against hers and closed his eyes, seeking strength from her. 'And you are needed here, my little dragon child,' she told him softly. 'Until we meet again.'  
  
'So we will meet again?" Thor asked, a little desperately.  
  
'Of course.' The Mother drew away from Thor and looked expectantly at the unicorn, who walked closer to Thor and Draco, nodded his head at both of them, and then left in a gallop for the Forbidden Forest.  
  
'Goodbye, my children,' the Mother whispered, then she turned and launched herself into the air, her great wings bearing her high into the sky until she could no longer be seen. Whilst Thor was watching her, Draco took the opportunity to slip the dagger from his hands and examine the writing on it.  
  
"Damn," he muttered in disgust. "Obviously whoever decided what I'd know after the Change didn't think that I might want to be able to *read* Dragon- tongue, not just speak it. Harry, what does it say?"  
  
Thor tore his eyes away from the clouds to look at Draco and his dagger. "It says 'beloved child'," he replied. "And why should we be given everything - then there'd be nothing left to learn." He smiled suddenly. "Draco...I've been meaning to tell you -"  
  
"Thor! Thor, you come here right now and explain to me how you know the Mother of Dragons!" Zodiac yelled from the castle steps. Draco developed a sudden cough to disguise his laughter; Thor glared at the pair of them, grabbed Draco's arm, and pulled him towards Zodiac.  
  
"If I'm going to get told off," he told Draco bluntly, "so are you."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Harry - do you think things are going to be a lot different now?"  
  
"I'm probably the wrong person to ask," Thor admitted openly, smoothing back Draco's hair from his forehead. "I don't really know what's going to happen now...I don't know that I want there to be anything except just us."  
  
Draco twisted in his arms so he could look at Thor. "But there has to be," he pressed. "Doesn't there?"  
  
Thor didn't reply.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
One week after Thor had woken up, and ten days after the great attack on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, all of Britain had been freed. Muggles returned to their homes and started rebuilding their lives; wizards did the same, if with a little less ease. At Hogwarts, preparations were underway for honouring the deceased, and for bringing Hogwarts back to life in the way it had always meant to be.  
  
The Circle of Mages had mostly returned to their home, deep in the mountains of an unnamed country. The Council remained, officially to represent the Mages in the coronation that they had insisted upon for Thor. Thor complained to Draco when they were alone that they only stayed to annoy him, but as there was little he could do about the situation - he could not, of course, force them to leave - he kept his thoughts mostly to himself.  
  
And he had little enough time to think about anything at all, let alone something as unimportant as the Circle of Mages and why Coyote detested him. Coyote and the Circle had insisted - and Dumbledore and many others had firmly agreed - that Thor needed a coronation if he intended to rule. Dumbledore's reasons were a little different - he said it would give the country a morale-booster that was sorely needed - but regardless of the reasons, a coronation had to happen.  
  
When Thor had been told this very bluntly by Zodiac, he had turned the whole affair over to Draco to arrange.  
  
"You had experience with big formal things when you were younger," he claimed. "I didn't - and I'll be damned if I let anyone drag me into negotiating where the pixies should sit in relation to the fairies."  
  
So the coronation was set for four weeks time, and every sentient species under the heavens had an invitation, and several non-sentient ones as well. Draco had made sure that *everyone* was well-represented, and had even, according to Seraph, managed to sort out seating arrangements without doing anything that might cause a full-scale magical war, for which Thor was extremely grateful and proved it to Draco every night.  
  
It was when they approached Thor about what he would need to do that problems arose. The 'committee' of people who were organising the coronation decided that it would be safer for the health of all concerned if they approached Thor together. That way, Seraph reasoned, it was more likely that no-one would die. Draco protested that Thor wouldn't kill any of them, and Zodiac pointed out that Thor really, really didn't like people making a fuss of him.  
  
"When you put it like that," Draco winced.  
  
So two and a half weeks before the coronation Draco, Seraph, Hermione, Ginny, Zodiac, Sirius and Mage Vanille went down to the lake and found Thor, who was busy talking animatedly to a grass snake.  
  
Thor looked up at them all, winced, and sent the snake on its way. He stood up, brushed some grass from his uniform, and held out his hands in a helpless gesture. "I am at your mercy," he announced dramatically.  
  
"Good," Ginny began, a wicked glint in her eye. "I've been meaning to do this since my third year at Hogwarts." Thor took a step backwards as she produced her wand. "Petrificus totalus!"  
  
Fortunately, Thor grinned, he had had a permanent shield charm sewn into his uniform by the griffins several years ago, so the hex evaporated once it hit the shield. Ginny grimaced, and put away her wand.  
  
"Harry, we need to talk to you about the coronation," Hermione began carefully. Thor flinched; so far he'd managed to stay well out of the whole business, and he had intended to do so until the actual coronation itself. "Don't look at me like that, Harry, you know we need to sort out what exactly you'll need to do - and you're the only one who knows anything about crowning a Dragon King."  
  
Thor pulled his wand from his belt, muttered a spell, and pulled a book from the air. "Here," he said tersely, levitating the book into her hands. "Everything's in there; I researched it very thoroughly, and that book was written by the last Dragon King. Can I go now?"  
  
Draco quickly moved to his side. "Harry, please," he said softly. 'I know you don't want to do this, but try, for me?" Thor met Draco's eyes, then turned away, gazing out across the lake with hooded eyes. Draco, stung, fell back a pace. "Harry..."  
  
"Look, I don't want to talk about the damn coronation," Thor snapped, whirling around and fixing his angry gaze on the whole group. "I don't care, do you understand? I couldn't care less about whether the Mages recognise me, or whether not having a crown means I can't officially rule. Hell, I don't even want to rule. So you can all just take your coronation and the stupid traditions that go along with it and drown it in the lake."  
  
"Harry, you-" Sirius started anxiously. Thor cut him off.  
  
"I'm leaving," he said curtly. "Please don't look for me." He met Draco's eyes for an instant, and then levitated himself quickly. He flew across the lake and out of Hogwarts grounds...and Apparated away.  
  
The coronation committee stared in shock at where they had last seen him, unable to believe that it had actually happened, that Thor had actually gone, that he had actually left them. Zodiac instantly cast a locating charm to try and find Thor, wherever he had gone, but -  
  
"Damn," he grimaced. "Either Thor's left the country or he's concealing his location."  
  
"Under the circumstances, I imagine it's the latter," Seraph murmured. "He really doesn't want us to find him."  
  
"Of course he doesn't," Draco snapped. "Why else would he have left?" He wrapped his arms around himself as all eyes turned to him. "What is it now?" he demanded suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I made him leave."  
  
"No," Zodiac said slowly. "We know you didn't make him leave...but you can get him back."  
  
"What?" Draco's eyes widened. 'No I can't. Why would you think that?"  
  
"Because you've got a bond with him," Hermione breathed. "Of course...you know exactly where he is, Draco. You can go and get him back."  
  
"No," Draco said coolly. "I won't."  
  
"But if you know where he is," Sirius tried, "surely you can -" Yet again he was interrupted.  
  
"No, Sirius," Draco said, exasperated. "I could find him, certainly, but I doubt that I could persuade him to come back if he doesn't want to, and that's always assuming that I will intrude on Harry's privacy like that. I won't do that - he's had people doing that to him all his life. Can't you all just leave him alone for once?" He sighed, and shook his head. "I'll be back by sunset," he announced. "I'm going to see the unicorns." He strode off towards the Forbidden Forest, leaving everyone else feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"What do we do now?" Ginny asked softly. "We can't have a coronation if there's no king."  
  
"Do?" Mage Vanille repeated. She had been silent so far, more out of respect for Thor than because of any other reason. "What else is there to do but continue with the preparations?"  
  
"Vanille," Seraph began, a little tired. "What on earth can you mean? Why prepare if there is nothing to prepare for?"  
  
"I know Thor, at least a little," Vanille said quietly. "He will be back - and from what I have seen of Draco, he will go to find Thor and help him. Don't give up on your friends so easily, Mage Seraph." She nodded her head at the two Mages, then turned and walked back up to the school. Silently the others joined her.  
  
In the Forbidden Forest, Draco cried among a herd of unicorns who did not know what they could do to help him.  
  
Many miles away, in a small town in Surrey, Harry Potter curled up in the place that had once been his home, and tried in vain to forget.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 


	11. Always and Forever Harry

Author's Notes: Again, thank you all for the nice reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: See part one for full disclaimer; anything you recognise does not belong to me.  
  
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"Come on, wake up...that's it, come on now..."  
  
Harry opened his eyes and blinked at the sudden light. A face moved into his vision, and he frowned.  
  
"Where am I?" he asked faintly. "What..." Then he remembered. He remembered leaving Hogwarts and Draco, and he closed his eyes briefly before gingerly sitting up and looking at his surroundings.  
  
He was in a fairly large room - it seemed to be some sort of shelter, because there were many others lying in beds similar to his own. Several men and women that he assumed were muggles were slowly going from person to person, making sure they were alright and giving them food.  
  
"What is this place?" he asked slowly, and looked at the person who had woken him up. His eyes widened, and he stifled a gasp. "Dean?" he whispered incredulously. "Dean Thomas?"  
  
Dean nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Yes, it's me," he agreed. "And this is a hospital of sorts, for everyone who was in our area's work camp." He hesitated. "Where were you, Harry?" he asked in a rush. "All those years - and do you know anything about what's happened?"  
  
"Yes," Harry agreed, a little dazed still. "I...I organised the attacks, from Hogwarts...I was training to be a Mage, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have...I wouldn't have left you all otherwise..."  
  
"It's alright," Dean overrode him. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Harry. I know you only would have left if you thought it would have helped. And it obviously has, if you're the one behind freeing us all. Just wait until everyone finds out! This'll cheer them all up, if anything does."  
  
"Please don't say anything, Dean," Harry pleaded. "I want...I came here to forget - help me? Don't tell anyone who I am?"  
  
Dean gave him an odd, considering look that Harry had never seen on him before. "Harry, half of us here are wizards or witches," he warned. "You know how it is - you're famous, even now. They'll recognise you."  
  
Harry leant back on the bed, and closed his eyes again tiredly. "Not if I disguise myself," he murmured. "That's easy enough." A thought struck him. "Dean, what happened to Seamus?"  
  
Dean smiled slightly. "He and I were in the same camp -he's alright, he's just recovering from a bout of pneumonia. They didn't exactly take care of us in the camps."  
  
"Do you have medicines and stuff now?" Harry wanted to know.  
  
"Some. Just what we could find, and stuff has already begun coming in from overseas," Dean told him. "Come on, I have your clothes here. Now you're awake, we need this bed. You can go and help in the food lines."  
  
He flashed Harry a grin, and Harry couldn't help but grin back.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
For two weeks, Harry, under a carefully-woven illusion, helped Dean and the others at the temporary hospital and watched people build their lives back up from scratch. It was, he realised, almost disturbing to see how matter- of-factly they got on with it, as though this had happened to them many times before. Within those two weeks, people had already started re- building all the many buildings that had been destroyed. Small schools had been set up in open spaces for the children that were fit enough to attend the lessons, and some trading centres had even been set up in some of the temporary shelters - shops, of course, being out of the question, as no money had been circulating for over five years.  
  
Three days before the day that Harry was supposed to be crowned on, Dean took one look at him and sent him away from the hospital. He pressed some food into Harry's hands, with instructions to trade it for a good strong cup of coffee, and propelled him in the direction of the trade centre, which had also opened a small food kitchen.  
  
Once in possession of the mug of coffee - which was certainly strong, he reflected on tasting - Harry made his way back to the place where Dean had found him. The place where a cupboard had once stood. The place where, some years before, had stood house number four of the road called Privet Drive. He sat down amongst the squalor, and slowly sipped at the foul- tasting coffee.  
  
A noise brought him out of his musings several minutes later; he looked up sharply, and then smiled slightly at the sight before him. Two children were playing in what had once been the front garden on number six. Somewhere they had found a rubber ball; it was slightly shrivelled, and the colours had faded, but it was still enough of a toy for these children, who had probably never had toys before, to play catch with.  
  
And they were laughing. Harry realised with a start that he hadn't heard anyone laughing, properly laughing, in weeks, if not months. The thought scared him slightly.  
  
Then the little boy, who could only have been six years old, missed the ball, and it landed at Harry's feet. Harry looked down at it in vague surprise, then looked up again as the two children, who, now he looked at the closer, were obviously brother and sister, ran up in front of him.  
  
"Can we have our ball back, please?" the girl asked politely. "it's our only one, and we don't want to lose it," she explained proudly. Harry smiled warmly and sincerely, and picked up the ball.  
  
"Hold it in your hands," he instructed her. She took it from him and obeyed. Harry passed his hand over it, and revealed it to her. It looked brand-new, and the two children exclaimed in delight.  
  
"Are you a wizard?" the boy asked boldly, and Harry leant back on his arms, careful not to knock over the mug of coffee.  
  
"What makes you think that?" he wanted to know.  
  
"You do magic," came the confident answer. "So you must be a wizard, only wizards can do magic. You're like Uncle Dean and Uncle Seamus. They're wizards too."  
  
"Yes, they're wizards," Harry agreed. "But I'm not -" he cut himself off, then a small smile tugged at his lips. "Yes, I suppose I am a wizard, of a sort," he told the boy slowly. "My name's Harry - what's yours?"  
  
"I'm James," the boy said proudly. "Daddy said that one of his friends was called that." Suspicion entered Harry's mind, but he told himself sternly that it was just a coincidence.  
  
"And I'm Sally," the girl piped up. "And Daddy said that his great-aunt was called that, only he didn't like her, and he loved me, so there!" She stuck her tongue out at her little brother as if she was proving something.  
  
"And who are your parents?" Harry inquired. "Are they in the temporary shelters?"  
  
Their faces fell instantly, and Harry regretted asking the question as he cursed himself silently. Their parents had obviously been killed in the work camps.  
  
"Mummy was killed just after James was born," Sally confided in a low voice, seeming much more grown up than her age - she couldn't have been older than eight. "She was killed by the nasty Death Eaters. And Daddy..." She trailed off, and shrugged.  
  
"Daddy was killed two years ago," James said quietly. "Because he went all hairy every month."  
  
"Shut up," Sally snapped. "Shut up, James."  
  
But Harry held out a hand to her, and drew her closer to him. "Was your father," he began carefully, "called Remus?"  
  
Sally and James both nodded. "Remus Lupin," James said proudly.  
  
Sometimes, Harry sighed, fate just refuses to be ignored.  
  
"Your father was one of my father's greatest friends," he told them softly. "My father was called James, just like you, little James."  
  
They both stared at Harry in awe, and he smiled back at them. "Come on, you two," he said, feigning cheerfulness. "Let's go back to Dean and Seamus and see if we can find out who's supposed to be looking after you." He stood up, picked up the mug of cold coffee, and took James's offered hand.  
  
Back at the hospital, Dean was quickly found. When he saw who was with Harry, he smiled sadly.  
  
"So you three found each other; I knew it was only a matter of time," he observed.  
  
"Who's looking after them?" Harry asked softly, holding tightly onto the hands of both children now. They looked up at him with complete trust, and he wished that he could will away that trust.  
  
"Seamus and I, for the moment," Dean answered, scribbling something on a bit of paper. "Why?"  
  
"I was thinking of taking them back to Hogwarts with me," Harry admitted quietly. Dean looked up sharply, his eyes searching Harry's, then he nodded. "That makes sense," he agreed. "And Merlin knows there aren't enough people to look after them here. I know things are better up at Hogwarts, I got an owl from Professor Dumbledore the other day."  
  
"Oh, you did?" Harry queried, trying to appear casual. "What did he say?"  
  
"It was a fairly standard letter," Dean replied easily. "I understand that he's sent them out to most old work camps, to make sure everything is alright, or as alright as we can be under the circumstances." He paused, and met Harry's eyes. "He also mentioned something about the coronation of a Dragon King. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Harry?"  
  
Harry stiffened, but it wasn't only because of Dean's words. Slowly, deliberately, he let go of James and Sally and turned around to face the man who had just walked in through the door of the hospital.  
  
"Draco?" he heard Dean demand from behind him, "Draco Malfoy?" But he had eyes for nothing except Draco. Finally he was brought out of his whirling thoughts by Sally tugging on his arm.  
  
"Is he a wizard too?" she demanded loudly. Harry bit his lip, and shrugged. "You stay with Uncle Dean for a while, okay?" he said instead. "I need to talk to this man." Sally and James detached themselves from him, and he looked back up at Draco sadly. "Well," he sighed. "I guess you found me."  
  
"Did you think I wouldn't?" Draco returned rhetorically. "Come on." He held out his hand, and Harry took it, taking off his illusion at the same time.  
  
They walked for minutes until Draco decided that they were sufficiently alone to stop and talk. They watched each other for any sign of what the other was thinking, and then finally Harry looked away.  
  
"Did they send you?" he asked dully. 'To find me, I mean."  
  
"they wanted me to come," Draco admitted. "But I...I didn't come until I thought you might be ready to talk about what's wrong." Harry closed his eyes, and Draco changed the subject swiftly, unwilling to press him. "Who were those kids?"  
  
"Remus Lupin's children, apparently," Harry replied, opening his eyes again. "He's dead though. I thought..." He paused, and tried again. "I was going to bring them with me, when I came back to Hogwarts. Sirius would want to meet them, I know, and I...I feel that I owe it to Remus to make sure his children have a chance at a decent life."  
  
"So you were going to come back?"  
  
"I...I don't know."  
  
Draco pursed his lips. "Harry, I must know," he pressed. "I don't want to push you, but please, talk to me." Harry looked up at him with unreadable eyes, and Draco suddenly remembered the small glass vial in the pocket of his robes. "Harry, I have the Veritaserum that Snape made for you - will you drink it with me?"  
  
Harry didn't hesitate. "Of course." Draco pulled the vial from his pocket and pulled out the cork stopper. He tipped it so that he could swallow three small drops, and then he passed it to Harry, who did the same. The world quickly went a little fuzzy for both of them.  
  
"Why did you leave?" Draco had to force the words out of his mouth, and he knew Harry would have to do the same.  
  
"Because I'm fed up of people expecting things from me," Harry answered slowly, his words a little slurred by the effect of the powerful potion on him. "People have been expecting things from me since the moment I was born. I'm tired of it. Here I'm only expected to do as much as everyone else, not more."  
  
Draco wanted to say that Harry wasn't expected to be more than anyone else, but the potion stopped the words before they had even formed in his mouth, because they simply weren't true. Instead, he asked a slightly more obvious question.  
  
"Why did you come back here? You used to live here, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes," Harry agreed. "I did, with my aunt and uncle, and my cousin. I came back here because.because I wasn't really expected to do much, here. I thought that maybe I'd not be expected to do things here again." He shrugged. "It turned out a little different to what I'd expected." He decided that it was his turn to ask a question. "Why didn't you come to find me before?"  
  
"Because I respect your privacy," Draco answered immediately. "And because Dragons know that you're going to have little enough privacy for the rest of your life." Harry's lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Why were you going to come back?" Draco asked quietly.  
  
Harry's whole expression changed to that of a man without cares. "Because I love you," he said, as frank as only Veritaserum could make him. "Because I know that I can't live without you for a day longer than I have to. Is that a good enough reason?"  
  
"I'd say so," Draco grinned. "And you're going to pass out if you don't take the antidote." He pulled a second, larger vial from another pocket, and thrust it at Harry. "Here."  
  
Harry took a gulp, and shook his head. "Wow. I'd forgotten how woozy Veritaserum makes you feel," he commented. He passed the vial back to Draco, who drank some and then put it back in his pocket. "Draco..."  
  
"Feel any better?" Draco inquired cheerfully. Harry nodded silently. "Good. Now, are we going back to Hogwarts, or not?"  
  
"Not permanently," Harry warned. "Hogwarts will be opening as a school again in September, and besides, it's very inaccessible for loads of beings. And," he added as an afterthought, "I want to live somewhere where neither of us have any previous connections, so that we can really start a new life as ourselves.even if being ourselves means that I'm the Dragon King and you're the Unicorn-born."  
  
"I can live with that," Draco nodded, a small smile on his face. 'And Lupin's children? Will they live with us?"  
  
"Depends on what they want," Harry shrugged, taking several steps forward so that he rested in Draco's arms. "They need to be happy, and besides, they aren't potential Mages, I could see that at a glance."  
  
"They will be happy," Draco murmured, tilting Harry's head slightly so that their eyes met. "You, my dragon, will be happy." He kissed Harry, and then pulled away. 'Come on, let's fetch them and go back home."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Harry and Draco said goodbye to Dean and Seamus, and Apparated into the remains of Hogsmeade with Sally and James. The wizard village, Harry saw, was already partially rebuilt, and he saw many familiar faces among the crowds that mingled around. The two children were in awe at the sights they saw, but Draco wouldn't let any of them linger; he hurried them swiftly up towards the castle.  
  
They were all waiting for them at the castle steps; Sirius and Hermione were standing at the front, both with worried expressions on their faces. Draco let Harry step forward alone.  
  
"Sirius," he began, "I found these two rooting around the shelter in Surrey." Sirius silently switched his gaze from Harry to the two children; their hazel eyes caught at his eyes and held them without sound. "They're Remus's, Sirius."  
  
Sirius looked up at Harry with a choked cry. "Remus..." he whispered.  
  
"Did you know daddy?" Sally demanded, intrigued. "Are you a wizard as well? We've met lots of wizards," she confided. Sirius nodded to all the questions, and held out his hands for both of them.  
  
"I'll take you inside and find food for you," he told them, a little dazed still. They grinned, took his hands, and disappeared with him inside. Harry looked up at everyone else, his eyes seeking out Zodiac particularly. The older Mage stared grimly back. Something in Harry snapped.  
  
"If you're going to tell me off for running away," he said pleasantly to his former teacher, "I'd much rather you didn't. After all, I can always tell everyone the story of the time you ran off when all I'd don was die your hair." He turned back to Draco. "Come on, let's go. You guys still need to fill me in on my part in the coronation."  
  
Draco grinned at him, and walked up the stairs with him. He felt a hand on his arm just before they entered the castle. He looked up into Dumbledore's twinkling eyes.  
  
"Whatever you said to him, my dear boy," the old wizard murmured, "congratulations. Harry is back with us."  
  
"Do you know, sir," Draco replied thoughtfully, watching Harry tickle Sally in the entrance hall, "I rather think he is." Harry glanced up and met his eyes, as if he had heard him, and Draco hurried forward. "Harry, no-one tickles anyone in this castle without me," he declared, and grabbed James and promptly began tickling the boy.  
  
Yes, he confirmed silently. Harry was most definitely back.  
  
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The End.  
  
Yep, that's right, the end. This fanfiction is now officially finished...unless I write a short fluff piece, which I may well do, but no promises.  
  
I've put so much into this story that's it's almost impossible to actually acknowledge the fact that it's over. However, since it *is* the end, no matter what I may later kid myself into believing, I am now going to acknowledge every single person who has reviewed my story - just to be corny (. So here it is:  
  
Thank you to: AtieJen, MOI, Ash, loVsicK, Enjeru, lostgrl, Autumn Ice, Sophie W, bwaybaby79,  
  
Amethyst Angel, loverwren, killaria, sons, Lady Ron, Yanslana, killing- dance, John Brown,  
  
Namwolf, aurora, Ken-chan, The Red Dragons Order, Bill Weasly, tima, MercS, Eien, Summer,  
  
Prophetess of Hearts, Katrina, Wild Child, Anne Phoenix, Hippy Flower (Voldie's kid, Aqua,  
  
MidnightDragon, DaughterOfTheDawn, Shinigami, Vlana, Dracona, me, Otaku freak,  
  
chrisseee667, Teigra, nalesko, Snape's Slave, T.K. Yuy, Tara, Norbert for President, SoulSister,  
  
Lilac, caffinebunny, ice angemoni, Thornangel, Dancstashjessky, Terra Evans, Mage Of Fire,  
  
Kaetian, Shura, Mistress Cresacre, Jinx, Sam, hermionegranger, nell, Sienna of Lothlorien,  
  
Myrtle-Pyrtle, Slytherin Godess, LadyCosmos, Dementer, Phoenix, Aaron G, Dreamer, eav, The  
  
Earth Sorceress, AllAboutMe, Shila (the elf who's too lazy to log in!) coriander, *PRONGZ*,  
  
Padfoot, Moony, Prongs 4EVER, Arizoza, Adam, spunky, Dark-One Shadowphyre, Draco Malfoy  
  
N Harry Potter, QueSeraSera, brian, annakas, Shila, Lily, and Meana.  
  
If I've left anybody out, either because you reviewed chapter ten after I wrote this or because you review *this* chapter, I apologise sincerely. If I left you out and you reviewed any chapter up to ten, you have my permission to throw heavy objects at me. I hope you have a good aim!  
  
I'd also like to thank the people who made me keep writing this even when I was in the 'depths of despair' about it: Roz (i.e. Snape's Slave, but I'm sure she won't mind me thanking her again), Lauren (even though you have yet to read a single chapter!), Rachel (i.e. Norbert for President. I borrowed Lyth the dragonlet off ideas of Norbert, who, as we all know, is your exclusive property), all my other friends whose contributions were received with ill grace when I couldn't bear to even look at this story anymore, and my brother, for wanting to get on the computer and making me claim that I was writing.which then made me actually write to get him off my back. Lastly, and certainly not leastly, I would like to thank the most wonderful person, without whom this fic would never have been possible, JK Rowling.  
  
Again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Dragon Mage.'  
  
Sparks.  
  
P.S. If any of you are actually still reading, here's a hint: keep your eyes open for a possible sequel of the non-fluff variety. I'm not saying it's a definite...but keep your eyes open. 


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